London residency requirement

Unmesh Desai: The Action Plan states that the London residency requirement will be re-introduced for “most” new recruits. What types of recruitment will be exempt from the requirement?

The Mayor: The vast majority of recruits will be subject to the residency requirement. However, the criteria will not be applied to the following entry routes.

Recruitment targets

Unmesh Desai: Does your target of 28% of officers being BAME by 2030 include PCSOs and Met Special Constables?

The Mayor: The target of 28% BAME officers by 2030 does not include Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) or Metropolitan Special Constables (MSC).
Both PCSOs and the MSC already have greater diversity. 40% of PCSOs and 32% of the MSC are from a BAME background.

Tube Noise [3]

Andrew Dismore: Residents of Fitzrovia were told that noise from the Victoria Line around Warren Street was not caused by the conditions of the tracks, and so Warren Street was not included in the list of track areas to be ground. It now transpires that there has been corrugation on the rail there, but it will be months before there can be grinding, due to lack of availability of the machine. This is clearly not adequate management of the track or the continuing tube noise issue. Can the grinding of the rails here please be prioritised?

The Mayor: Please see my answer to Mayor’s Question 2020/4434.

Tube Noise [2]

Andrew Dismore: Residents living between Kentish Town and Tufnell Park report a major increase in tube noise recently. What is the cause and what is the proposed remedy?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) is in the process of arranging residential noise measurements in this area, which will enable it to determine the cause of any noise disturbance – and any potential solution. Residential noise measurements are currently on hold due to London moving into Tier 3 of the Government’s coronavirus restrictions.
Rail grinding will be carried out on the Northern line in spring 2021, and is expected to include this section of track.
It is important that residents get in touch with the TfL Contact Centre if there are any issues, as this allows TfL to determine any noise ‘hotspots’. Key sites are reviewed on a monthly basis by senior responsible managers

Tube Noise [1]

Andrew Dismore: Residents in Fitzrovia are receiving contradictory responses from TfL regarding corrugation on the rails on the Victoria Line around Warren Street. They wrote to me just a few weeks ago to say that they would not be carrying out grinding in the area in the October / November grinding round, because there was no significant corrugation. Now they have just sent an email to a resident stating that: “The engineers have checked the ATMS, and believe that the increase [in noise] is caused by short patches of corrugation which are developing again as a result of the effects of the previous grinding wearing off. My understanding is that the next round of grinding on the Victoria line is Spring 2021. I’ve asked if this could be brought forward, but sadly this isn’t feasible due to the limited capacity within the grinding programme.”
What was the wisdom of the decision not to grind the rails here recently, and how does this fit with commitments previously made to tackle to problem? Will you ensure this area is prioritised for grinding, should slots become available?

The Mayor: Before deploying a rail grinding machine on a particular line, TfL reviews rail corrugation levels across the line to determine the areas in which rail grinding will have the greatest benefit. This includes an assessment of where rail grinding is required for operational reasons, and separately in terms of noise and vibration. Rail grinding reduces rail roughness, and is expected to have greater benefit in areas where rail roughness levels are relatively high.
Although there are some small sections of rail corrugation starting to develop, overall rail roughness in the Fitzrovia area is still relatively low, and rail grinding would likely result in only a minimal reduction in noise and vibration at this stage. TfL will continue to keep this area under review for future interventions, with further rail grinding planned on the Victoria line from spring 2021.
It is important that residents get in touch with the TfL Contact Centre if there are any issues, as this allows TfL to determine any noise ‘hotspots’. Key sites are reviewed on a monthly basis by senior responsible managers.

Children’s mental health

Onkar Sahota: Research is beginning to show that children’s mental health has suffered greatly during the pandemic. Can you provide support to children in London?

The Mayor: We know young people were more likely to report stress arising from the pandemic than the population as a whole. My Youth Mental Health First Aid programme enables those who work with children and young people to develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to have conversations and spot the signs of poor mental health.
In August, I announced a further £2.1m to help 15,000 more young Londoners boost their skills and improve their mental health through my Young Londoners Fund. Projects included an innovative intervention of therapy through sporting, mentoring, and enterprise activities and dance therapy to support marginalised women with mental health disorders in Lambeth.
My Healthy Schools London programme supports schools to improve mental health and wellbeing and I have provided funding to Good Thinking, London’s digital mental wellbeing service, to extend the platform with content specifically aimed at children and young people, due to launch in January.

Corner shop violence

Susan Hall: Presenting the data monthly to November 2020 for the past three years, please provide a breakdown of the number of violence against the person offences at London corner shops?

The Mayor: The MPS does not hold this data.

University Covid testing

Onkar Sahota: The Government’s plan to test all students before they leave university for Christmas was thrown into question after unions raised “grave concerns” about the accuracy of the Covid-19 tests being used and warned that the mass evacuation of students was a “recipe for chaos”. Are you concerned about this causing a spike as students return to London?

The Mayor: It is concerning that lateral flow tests, used by universities, are known to miss some cases of COVID-19. However, these tests are an additional tool which detect asymptomatic cases that we wouldn’t otherwise know about. It is important that students have an opportunity to see loved ones after a challenging term.
To help prevent a spike in cases, students returning home should limit transmission by social distancing with people from other households, meeting outdoors or in well ventilated places, maintaining good respiratory and hand hygiene. Students have also been advised to keep social contact to a minimum before travelling at the end of term. Any student who develops symptoms should self-isolate, with the rest of their household, and request a test via the usual route, irrespective of their previous lateral flow test result. I have written to Gavin Williamson requesting clarity around arrangements for students’ return to higher education in January.

Testing inaccuracies

Onkar Sahota: Government-backed assessments carried out by Public Health England and the University of Oxford suggests the lateral flow rapid tests may miss as many as half of Covid-19 cases, depending on who is using them. The study found that the sensitivity of the test dropped from 79% to 58% when it was used by self-trained members of the public as opposed to laboratory scientists. Are you worried about testing accuracy for Londoners if rapid testing is made more widely available?

The Mayor: It is concerning that lateral flow tests are known to miss some cases of COVID-19. However, these tests are an additional tool which detect positive cases in people who don’t have symptoms and who we wouldn’t otherwise know about. When these tests are used in combination with other vital measures such as social distancing, washing hands regularly and wearing face coverings they will help us to break chains of transmission and save lives.

Step free access

Caroline Pidgeon: TfL’s Programme and Investment committee papers for 11 December 2020 state that three long promised step free schemes at Hanger Lane, Burnt Oak and Northolt are currently paused pending a further review, following the financial considerations of the coronavirus pandemic. Please set out the timescale for this review. Please also explain why past claims published on TfL’s website that these schemes would be completed by March 2020 were not fulfilled.

The Mayor: As a result of the recent coronavirus pandemic and the impact on Transport for London (TfL) more widely, plans for step-free access at Hanger Lane, Burnt Oak and Northolt have been paused, pending further discussions with Government around funding.
Step-free access at such stations is vital in supporting our customers with mobility needs, and TfL and I want to ensure funding for such schemes is prioritised wherever possible. TfL continues to discuss with stakeholders and developers about progress with these schemes, as well as how to ensure safeguarding is in place while long-term funding options are identified. As this is an on-going process it is not possible give an indication of timescales at present.
TfL will continue to keep stakeholders informed about developments in the step-free access programme.
Please also see my response to your previous question 2020/2123

Help for hospitality

Susan Hall: What percentage of London's hospitality businesses do you estimate City Hall initiatives have engaged with (in some form) since lockdown began in March 2020?

The Mayor: It is not possible to accurately determine the extent of engagement with GLA initiatives as a percentage of businesses in London, not least because much of our engagement work is through our network of partner organisations. For example, we are continually engaging with London’s boroughs, business groups and sectoral bodies, as well as business support providers who in turn engage their extensive business networks in GLA-funded initiatives. My Business Advisory Board, London Covid Business Forum, SCG Business and Economic Impact subgroup, and the business-led London Economic Action Partnership, all include hospitality business owners and are at the heart of our work to support London’s economy. My London Food Boards also includes UK Hospitality and FareShare, one of three organisations in the London Food Alliance, which has engaged extensively with hospitality businesses throughout the pandemic to access surplus food supplies and support frontline food charities.
Since the beginning of the pandemic I have been offering a series of services and grants to support businesses during these difficult times. All of these are available to the hospitality sector.
In terms of specific interventions to engage with London’s hospitality businesses, these include the following:
It should be noted that the Government funding provided to London for business support amounts to 80 pence per London business and therefore without significant additional funding, our outreach and support has to be targeted at specific businesses and business needs.

Vaccine messaging

Onkar Sahota: What campaign and messaging materials around encouraging vaccine uptake has your office produced?

The Mayor: We know there is a lot of misinformation about vaccines, but the truth is that they save millions of lives around the world.
Building confidence in vaccines and ensuring Londoners take up the COVID-19 vaccine when their turn comes is vital to protecting all our communities in London.
That’s why we have been producing and promoting messaging to Londoners to encourage vaccine update since November. We have been working with partners across London, including NHS London, PHE London, local authorities and community stakeholders to deliver this.
Recently I visited Croydon University Hospital to see the first vaccines being administered to Londoners which I promoted through TV interviews and social media. I also took part in a live Q&A on vaccines with a scientist on TikTok to counter vaccine hesitancy amongst young people. My team had been working with stakeholders and using advertising, social media and traditional media to ensure Londoners have the right information. We are also looking at translating information into key languages, working with social media platforms to tackle disinformation and sharing assets with community and faith groups to help promote uptake.
I will continue to do all I can as Mayor to use my platform and communications channels to speak to Londoners about vaccines and to tackle disinformation.

Vaccine messaging (2)

Onkar Sahota: Are you working with councils to produce messaging materials around encouraging vaccine uptake?

The Mayor: Yes. I am committed to continuing to work with partners to encourage Londoners to take up the offer of vaccine when their time comes. My team have already begun working closely with partners across London, including councils, NHS London and PHE and community groups, to ensure we reach Londoners with this critical message.
There is rich learning, cooperation and experience that we can draw on as we plan this work, including the depth of knowledge amongst local authorities who understand their communities so well.

Support for taxi drivers

Caroline Pidgeon: I understand that in Liverpool taxi drivers have been given a grant by Liverpool City Council, which is effectively a refund of their licence fee. In other areas one off grants have been provided such as in Sheffield. I further understand that the devolved administrations in both Northern Ireland and Scotland have announced funds to help struggling taxi drivers. Please set out what steps you have taken or intend to take to supporting taxi drivers operating in London. Please also set out whether you have taken any steps to lobby the Government to offer any assistance to taxi drivers, many of whom are part of the 3 million excluded from Government pandemic support.

The Mayor: I am aware of the significant effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on taxi and private hire drivers.
I have recently written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to draw his attention to the plight of taxi and private hire drivers in London. I have highlighted the vital roles of the taxi and private hire trades in London and asked the Chancellor to consider how to allow for more flexibility in the way that the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants are calculated, to ensure that self-employed and gig economy workers are able to accurately reflect the work that they have done and receive the support they need. I have also urged consideration of how to exempt zero-emissions capable (ZEC) taxi purchases from capital allowances so that drivers claiming income support due to COVID are able to access adequate support for their work from the past three years.
Transport for London (TfL) has provided a range of measures to support taxi and private hire drivers during the pandemic. The most recent support initiative saw the distribution of stickers to be displayed in vehicles reassuring passengers that their driver is ‘coronavirus prepared’ as well as providing face masks and hand sanitisers to drivers, in advance of the festive period when some people were increasing their journeys. TfL has also met regularly with trade representatives to understand their concerns and has published numerous regulatory notices containing advice and guidance on the safe operation of services and where to access financial support and health and wellbeing services.

Driver and rider access to welfare facilities

Caroline Russell: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has reminded delivery and collection sites of their duty to provide rest and welfare facilities, including toilets and handwashing, to delivery drivers (https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/drivers-transport-delivery.htm). Will you support delivery riders using bikes, cargo bikes and powered two wheelers to access rest and welfare facilities across London?

The Mayor: Yes. Ensuring that hygiene facilities are made available to delivery staff is especially important during the current pandemic. I welcome the Health and Safety Executive’s reminder to businesses which clearly states the legal requirement under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, to provide safe and easy access to toilets and hand washing facilities to support the health and wellbeing for all drivers and riders whilst carrying out their important work.

GLA Adverts and Sponsored Content

Shaun Bailey: How much has the GLA spent on adverts and other sponsored content in newspapers, each year since 2014/15 including the current year? Please provide a breakdown.

The Mayor: It’s vital that Londoners know about the work of City Halland the policies and initiatives that impact their lives and which they can take advantage of. This includes making sure Londoners are aware of and can respond to statutory consultations or attend statutory events, such as People’s Question Time. It also includes making Londoners aware of wider opportunities including cultural events, programmes and services across the capital.
Examplesof issues we use newspaper adverts forinclude, in the Hounslow Borough Chronicle to inform Londoners about PQT, in housing trade press to encourage bids for members of the London Development Panel, on London Power so Londoners know about affordable energy deals, and statutory notices placed in local newspapers to inform Londoners about various public announcements. An example of a statutory notice is one informing Londoners about an Examination in Public on the draft New London Plan.
We work with Wavemaker, our appointed media planning and buying agency, to ensure we use advertising to reach and engage Londoners in the most effective way and are responsive to their needs. Wavemaker recommend paid advertising in newspapers asacost effective and impactful way to reach specific London audiencesparticularly thoseLondoners whodo notaccess digital channels.
Wavemaker has supplied the data below broken down by financial year. This table shows the combined media costs for advertising and other sponsored content placed in the newspapers, and for newspaper partnership activity, since 2014/15.Please note the 2019/20 figure includes newspaper advertising to promote the new affordable London Power tariffs to Londoners to help them save money.
GLA Spend
14/15
£48,375.28
15/16
£72,893.32
16/17
£60,675.34
17/18
£7,347.60
18/19
£8,945.69
19/20
£23,410.95
In addition to the above, the Greater London Returning Officer has a responsibility to provide the electorate with information about the Mayor of London and London Assembly Elections. This includes running a public awareness campaign in the run-up to the elections. In 2016 this included advertising in newspapers, the costs of which are set out below.
Mayor of London and London Assembly Elections
15/16
£ 18,150.93
16/17
£ 11,847.25

Safer streets from reduced traffic (1)

Caroline Russell: Changes in traffic volumes due to both lockdowns this year present a natural experiment to study the relationship between traffic volumes and road collisions. Will you commission a full analysis of the impact of changes in traffic in 2020 and the effect on collisions in the upcoming Transport for London (TfL) report, Casualties in Greater London during 2020?

The Mayor: Throughout the past nine months, Transport for London (TfL) has proactively used the data it holds to understand the changing risks on London’s roads and will continue to do so. This has been regularly reported in TfL’s quarterly Safety, Health and Environment report, reported to its Safety, Sustainability and Human Resources Panel.
TfL is currently validating 2020 collision data to meet Department for Transport (DfT) reporting instructions. Finalised figures will be published in TfL’s ‘Casualties in Greater London during 2020’ factsheet in spring 2021, in line with the DfT’s timescale for publication of the national dataset. The factsheet will include an assessment of the impact of the pandemic on road safety.
As part of a wider assessment of road safety during the pandemic, TfL’s Travel in London Report 13, published at https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/travel-in-london-reports, considers developments related to the pandemic in 2020. This analysis is based on preliminary figures that are provisional and subject to change.

Safer streets from reduced traffic (2)

Caroline Russell: Reduced traffic volumes, particularly during the first lockdown earlier this year, seemed to lead to a reduction in serious and fatal collisions but an increase in extreme speeding. What have you learnt from this, and will it lead to new policy measures to help you achieve Vision Zero?
From Travel in London 13 summary http://content.tfl.gov.uk/board-20201209-agenda-papers-public.pdf

The Mayor: As your question identifies, the reduced traffic volumes during the first lockdown were associated with increased police reports of instances of extreme speeding, as well as evidence of increases in average speeds on all classes of street in London.
Transport for London (TfL) has already identified appropriate speeds as a key element of its ‘safe system’ approach to Vision Zero. The Vision Zero Action Plan sets out a range of measures to ensure that vehicle speeds are appropriate to London’s streets and safe for everyone using those spaces. The Plan includes measures around lowering speed limits in appropriate locations, using street design to encourage compliance, and targeted enforcement in partnership with the police.
The patterns of behaviour and casualties that have emerged during 2020 indicate that a proportion of drivers do wish to speed and will do so if the conditions allow. We cannot tolerate this illegal and dangerous behaviour, and TfL is working with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to reduce opportunities for speeding and to robustly enforce limits. During 2020, TfL has completed the first phase of its lowering speed programme, reducing speed limits on the Transport for London Road Network within the Congestion Charging Zone. It has also introduced temporary 20mph speeds limits on an additional 20km of London’s streets as part of the Streetspace programme.
TfL has also continued its marketing and communications encouraging speed compliance and worked with the MPS to increase speed enforcement. For example, from the end of March to the end of October, the MPS issued 22,362 Traffic Offences Reports for speeding, a 199% rise compared with the same period in 2019.

Police Promotion

Peter Whittle: What effect is the Metropolitan Police’s decision to abandon its tried and tested regime of ensuring all officers start at constable and working their way up through the ranks, currently having on the morale of the force’s junior ranks?

The Mayor: As I have stated in my previous answer to MQ4063, it is right that the MPS explores the potential of direct entry and fast track programmes as part of the ongoing development of its workforce.
In July this year the College of Policing (CoP) published detailed five-year evaluations on direct entry schemes and these can be viewed at www.college.police.uk/News/College-news/Pages/Direct-Entry-five-year-evaluation-report-published-July-2020.aspx
Changes to structures or recruitment programmes will inevitably engender some scepticism, though as the CoP evaluations themselves note, negative preconceptions of the programmes were often overturned through meeting or working with those in the direct entry roles.

Zero Emissions Buses in London (1)

Leonie Cooper: How many zero emissions buses currently operate in London?

The Mayor: Currently, 390 zero-emission buses operate in London. Subject to infrastructure and vehicle delivery, Transport for London expects to have around 700 zero-emission vehicles in the fleet by the end of 2021.

Increased mobility post-Covid and air quality (4)

Leonie Cooper: To what extent do you think low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) are protecting London’s air quality and through this Londoners?

The Mayor: Motorised road traffic is the main source of air pollution in London. I’m working to clean London's air, including by toughening the emissions standards for heavier vehicles within the Low Emission Zone (LEZ), expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), cleaning up our bus fleet and taxis, and encouraging Londoners to switch to walking, cycling and public transport wherever possible.
As part of the emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic I’m also implementing Streetspace for London, to allow Londoners to travel safely and help avoid a car-based recovery which would lead to higher levels of air pollution. Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) are a key part of Streetspace for London and will help encourage Londoners to switch car trips for walking, cycling and public transport where possible. By reducing traffic on London’s streets, LTNs, alongside other measures, can play an important role in improving air quality and therefore Londoners’ health.
TfL’s recently published Travel In London report shows how travel habits have changed during the pandemic, with the proportion of journeys made by walking and cycling increasing significantly, from 29%between January and March 2020 to an estimated 46%between April and June 2020. Walking and cycling has remained well above previous levels even as restrictions eased and people began to return to public transport, with it accounting for an estimated 37% of all journeys between July and September.
However, the proportion of journeys made by private transport also increased a worrying amount, from 38%between January and March 2020, to 45%between March and June 2020. It is my strong belief that without my Streetspace programme and LTNs, this growth in private transport would have been even higher, with negative consequences for air quality and the health of Londoners.

Zero Emissions Buses in London (2)

Leonie Cooper: Which routes in London do zero emissions buses operate on?

The Mayor: The following routes operate fully with zero emission (electric) buses in London: 43, 46, 70, 94, 100, 106, 134, 153, 212, 214, 230, 323, 357, 360, 444, 507, 521, C1, C12 and P5.
Routes 108 and 312 operate with a mix of electric buses and conventional diesel buses.

Contact centre staff

Unmesh Desai: Please advise, by month, the number of Met contact centre 999 and 101 call handlers in each of the last 4 years.

The Mayor: The number of call handlers in each of the last 4 years is shown in the table below.
Month
2017
2018
2019
2020
January
436
478
630
609
February
466
485
633
620
March
482
529
652
642
April
486
565
650
662
May
487
559
650
658
June
478
572
648
514
July
486
596
654
535
August
480
589
640
527
September
477
599
654
536
October
485
619
649
529
November
476
646
640
510
December
475
638
607
TBC

Bus Spider Maps (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: In answer to Mayoral Question 2020/0228 you stated: “Although TfL did put its proposed policy to Travelwatch, it did not conduct an Equalities Impact Assessment.” Please state (a) how was the proposal to reduce the number of spider maps presented to Travelwatch in advance of any reduction in spider maps taking place, or were Travelwatch merely informed of the policy once it had been decided and started to be implemented? And (b) why was an Equalities Impact Assessment not undertaken prior to the policy being implemented?

The Mayor: London TravelWatch was informed by Transport for London (TfL) of the decision to reduce the number of Spider maps. It is not necessary or practical for TfL to consult with London TravelWatch each time it wants to make a change to customer information as products are constantly evolving.
The requirements of people with accessibility needs were considered when making the decision to reduce the number of Spider maps. This product does not contain any accessibility specific information and has never been universally available at every bus stop as it can only be displayed where there is a shelter. TfL therefore did not carry out an Equalities Impact Assessment when the changes were originally made, but has subsequently completed one, having listened to concerns raised by stakeholders.
All bus stops, both with and without a shelter, continue to display route information.

Bus Spider Maps (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: In answer to Mayoral Question 2019/20738 you stated: “Some spider maps have been discontinued as recent research with customers shows that they are used by less than 1 per cent of bus users.” Please respond to the concern that some people have expressed that such a statement underestimates the importance of spider maps for first time or occasional users of a route. Is this 1 per cent of bus users actually a significant number of people that TfL should be assisting, especially at a time when bus usage has been falling in London?

The Mayor: Bus Spider maps can only be displayed at stops where there is a shelter. Just over half of all bus stops have a shelter, so the display of these maps has always been limited. Transport for London (TfL) continues to display the maps where a bus stop, with shelter, serves five or more routes or where it serves a destination that is more likely to be unfamiliar to customers, such as a hospital.
The bus Spider map is just one type of customer information within a wide range of different tools available to customers, including print and digital information. It can be useful if customers are unfamiliar with the area and need to plan a route. This information is also available on the bus route panel and is displayed at every stop.
Regardless of whether a bus stop has a shelter or not, TfL will always keep different products under review to ensure they meet the majority of customer needs and deliver value for money. With the continued increase in customers using digital tools and significant decrease in the use of the Spider map, TfL has consolidated the number of maps and prioritised display of the maps to locations where they are most helpful.

Piccadilly Line Signalling upgrade

Joanne McCartney: Did the Government’s Spending Review 2020 offer any hope of investment in the much needed Piccadilly Line signalling upgrade? Whilst the new Piccadilly Line trains that will be rolled out from 2023 will increase capacity by around 12%, this signalling upgrade will increase capacity by 60% thereby transforming the service for my residents in Enfield & Haringey.

The Mayor: The renewal of signalling on the Piccadilly line is one of Transport for London’s (TfL) most pressing capital investment priorities. New automatic signalling and train control, similar to systems already in place on the Victoria, Jubilee and Northern lines, would enable up to 36 trains per hour and maximise the benefits of the new fleet of Piccadilly line trains to be built by Siemens in Goole, Humberside.
While the Spending Review wasn’t explicit about funding the new signalling, the TfL funding settlement letter from the Secretary of State on 31 October made it clear that TfL will not be expected to finance major capital enhancements and major renewals (such as rolling stock and signalling) solely from operating incomes. I will continue to make the case for Government investment which would allow us to confirm plans for upgrading the signalling system.

Oyster weekly cap

Alison Moore: Please update me on TfL’s attempts to introduce weekly capping for Oyster customers on all rail services in London.

The Mayor: Transport for London continues to be technically ready to introduce weekly capping for adult Oyster customers and are progressing with negotiations with the Train Operating Companies to finalise arrangements for its introduction as soon as possible.

Discontinued Internal Audits from 1 January 2014 to present

Keith Prince: Please provide me with the reference number and title of all Internal Audits commenced and discontinued from 1 January 2014 to the present and the formal reason why the audit was discontinued.

The Mayor: The records held by Transport for London (TfL) with this level of detail only date back to 13 March 2015. Below is a list of the three TfL Internal Audits commenced and discontinued in this time frame and the reason why each was stopped:
IA 19013 ‘Cost Escalation in Projects’ – This audit, paused in March 2020 due to the Auditor being furloughed, was stopped in August 2020. An external audit being undertaken by KPMG on behalf of the Government covered the same scope as this review. IA 19013 may be resumed in 2021 pending the conclusions of the external audit.
IA 19404 ‘Software Licence Management’ – The audit was stopped in March 2020 due to the Auditor leaving TfL. The business area was also subject to an external audit addressing a similar scope. IA 19404 may be reinstated in next year’s plan following discussion with the business.
IA 16767 ‘Trams Management of Operations H&S Risk’ - The audit was stopped in November 2016 as evidence gathering was nearing completion with report drafting underway. In light of the tragic event of 9 November 2016 it was decided that it would not be appropriate to continue with finalising the report at that time as the work was superseded by the vital investigations into the Sandilands tragedy. The response to MQ 2020/4096 refers.

Taxi Licence Fees Deferral

Keith Prince: Due to severe financial challenges facing taxi drivers and proprietors, will the Mayor consider a deferral scheme of taxi drivers' vehicle licence fees?

The Mayor: As I have made clear in my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/4262, I do recognise the plight of the capital’s taxi and private hire industries and have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to ask him to provide more support.
I know Transport for London has taken a pragmatic approach, wherever possible, to help licensees throughout the coronavirus pandemic. This includes on two separate occasions introducing temporary arrangements that enabled a number of taxis and private hire vehicles to remain licensed for a 6-month period at no cost to the licensee.
A vehicle owner can also choose not to license their vehicle for a period of up to 24 months if they are not working. In these circumstances, vehicle owners must be mindful of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing requirements when they seek to relicense their vehicle.

Effective Use of Manpower

Keith Prince: During the Covid-19 pandemic, when Tube drivers were on sick leave or self-isolating, what consideration was given to using the 140 underused Crossrail drivers to drive Tube trains?

The Mayor: TfL Rail train drivers are employed by the operator, MTR Elizabeth line, to operate the service on behalf of Transport for London (TfL). All drivers employed by MTR Elizabeth line are either undertaking rostered duties, including driving passenger trains on surface sections of TfL Rail and undertaking training on other sections so they are able to drive over the full length of the future Elizabeth line, or are involved with testing of the new Central Operating Section.
Train drivers on London Underground are employed directly by TfL. The trains operated by MTR Elizabeth line are not the same as London Underground trains. For a TfL Rail train driver to drive a London Underground train, they would require training on:
The time and cost of re-training TfL Rail drivers to drive London Underground trains would have been neither sustainable nor physically possible for much of the pandemic, given social distancing requirements.

Racist assaults against Met police officers

Susan Hall: Presenting the data monthly to November 2020 for the past three years, please provide a breakdown of the number of racist assaults against Met police officers?

The Mayor: The MPS publishes information related to COVID-19 Fixed Penalty Notices on its website. Please see the following web page:
https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/covid-19-dashboard/

Child abuse

Susan Hall: Presenting the data monthly to November 2020 for the past three years, please provide a breakdown of the number of child abuse offences?

The Mayor: The commitment made to sustain the London Crime Prevention Fund (LCPF) budget has been maintained. The total funding allocation for all elements of the LCPF for the four years 2017/18 to 2020/21 is £72,285,000.
Direct funding to boroughs is provided to address local need and demand, and delivery decisions are driven by local priorities. There is significant investment into Integrated Offender Management (IOM), tackling gang crime, managing substance misuse and interventions for young people, among others, but as each is tailored to a local area the outcome measures are individual. A full list of current projects by borough has been included and published on the MOPAC website.

Data sharing agreements

Susan Hall: For each of the following organisations, please provide a list of current data sharing agreements (With whom and what for)
• GLA
• MPS
• TFL

The Mayor: The GLA, MPS and TfL each hold data-sharing agreements with large numbers of different organisations for a range of different purposes, which involve both personal data and normal non-personal information. These sharing agreements could form part of contracts, funding agreements or existing legal obligations, in addition to standalone data-sharing agreements for specific purposes.
Agreements involving the processing of personal data might involve the GLA, MPS or TfL processing personal data on-behalf of other parties, or where personal data is processed by third-parties.
The GLA, MPS or TfL are not required to hold a definitive list of all the different types of data sharing or data processing agreements that might be covered by this question. The list accompanying this response contains example of sharing agreements involving the sharing and processing of personal data.
All agreements involving personal data protect the rights of individuals afforded under the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has entered into agreements for the sharing of personal data with other organisations. These can be seen in the attached table.

London’s Recovery Missions

Leonie Cooper: When is the deadline for responses to the consultation on your London Recovery Programme as outlined in your London Recovery Programme Overview paper published in October 2020, and what is your process for taking on board responses received?

The Mayor: Ensuring partners, stakeholders and Londoners are engaged in the Recovery Programme is fundamental to delivering the missions and achieving our Grand Challenge. Collaborating and involving London’s diverse communities is a programme cross-cutting principle.
We opened up conversations with Londoners on the aims agreed by the London Recovery Board and received meaningful input on missions’ development; record levels of public participation included 10,700+ responses to two surveys, and 78 community conversations hosted by 60 organisations reaching over 1,000 Londoners.
Opportunities for participation (and therefore ‘consultation’) are ongoing, including responding to the London Recovery Overview Paper. Reports on conversations, surveys, focus groups and roundtables carried out in the summer and early autumn have been made available to the London Recovery Board, Taskforce and Missions Teams on an ongoing basis.
We are currently working to develop mission-specific engagement programmes to feed into action plans. Opportunities to participate will be highlighted on Talk London.

Electric Vehicle Charging Points (2)

Leonie Cooper: How many charging points is it estimated that London will need by 2030?

The Mayor: The reports are available online here: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/electric-vehicles-and-rapid-charging#delivery-plan and here: https://theicct.org/publications/London-ev-charging-nov2020

Electric Vehicle Charging Points (3)

Leonie Cooper: In ‘The ten point plan for a green industrial revolution’ the government sets out plans to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points across the UK. How many of these are likely to be allocated to London?

The Mayor: London is leading on charging infrastructure in the UK and is home to over 26 per cent of the country’s charge points. I am doing everything I can to encourage the switch to electric vehicles (EVs), providing supportive policies and incentives such as bringing forward and expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone, funding scrappage schemes, supporting vehicle purchase grants and convening the EV Infrastructure Taskforce to ensure that infrastructure is no longer a barrier to EV uptake in London. A recent report found London’s support package is considered one of the most extensive in Europe (https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/EV_city_policies_white_paper_fv_20200224.pdf)
The UK Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) has announced funding of £1.3 billion to accelerate the roll out of charging infrastructure across the UK. OZEV is yet to outline how and when this funding can be accessed so it is not yet clear how many charge points this will mean for London. However, I will continue to make the case to Government for infrastructure investment to meet the city’s charging needs and ensure London continues to lead the rest of the country.

Crossrail (2)

Shaun Bailey: What is your assessment of the total amount of money Crossrail will cost?

The Mayor: On 1 December 2020 it was announced that a funding and financing package for the final phase of the Crossrail project had been agreed. Under the agreement, the Greater London Authority will borrow up to £825 million from the Department for Transport, which will be given to Transport for London (TfL) as a grant for the purposes of the Crossrail project.
Should the full £825 million be used, the overall cost of the Crossrail central section will be £15.789bn. The final cost, including the Network Rail elements of the scheme would be £18.599bn.
Crossrail Ltd is continuing to work hard to reduce its funding shortfall, and TfL is ensuring that further independent analysis of costs is carried out.

London's Economy (2)

Shaun Bailey: What are the components of London’s financial services sector and what percentage do they each contribute?

The Mayor: The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates of London output are for 2018. In this year the output of the Finance sector was £67.4bn, or 15% of London’s output of £450.3bn. The output of the components of the Finance sector were as below.
Table 1: Output (Gross Value Added) of components of the Finance sector, 2018
Financial services activities
£43.3bn
64%
Insurance and pension funding
£8.5bn
13%
Activities auxiliary to finance and insurance
£15.6bn
23%
Source: ONS regional GVA statistics

London's Economy

Shaun Bailey: Have you undertaken any research to ascertain which sectors are most important to London’s economy?

The Mayor: London has become increasingly specialised in high-skilled services since the mid-1990s and in science and technology more recently. ONS data suggest that Real Estate activities (14.9%); Financial and Insurance activities (14.4%); Professional, scientific and technical activities (13.3%); and Information and Communication (12.2%) were the largest London industries in 2018 in terms of Gross Value Added. In terms of shares of employment, the leading sectors in 2019 were Professional, scientific and technical activities (13.3%); Wholesale & retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (10.7%); Administrative & support services (10.3%); and Human health & social work activities (9.6%).
There are however other ways to assess sector’s importance in a dynamic economy beyond shares of shares of output and employment. The Economic Development Strategy has identified a number of (often new and cross-cutting) priority sectors for achieving a fairer and sustainable future economy for London, while the Local Industrial Strategy Evidence Base has also identified key R&D sectors.

Crossrail Funding (1)

Alison Moore: What specific representations have you made to the Government to secure and agree a funding deal for Crossrail?

The Mayor: The GLA and TfL set out the financial and operational constraints in relation to the project and the GLA’s capacity to borrow against the Crossrail Business Rates Supplement and Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy, including our prudent assumptions for the recovery of those revenue streams following the impact of the pandemic. Following lengthy negotiations, a deal was secured meeting these criteria on 30 November 2020, the full details of which are described in MD2702.

MOPAC Spending

Shaun Bailey: How many different spending streams does MOPAC have and how much money within each stream is unallocated?

The Mayor: In 2020/21 MOPAC had a core budget of £37.8m which was split between staffing of £11.3m, overheads of £4.8m, and commissioning of £21.7m.
This core funding has reduced by £1.5m in 2021/22 due to achieving the GLA savings targets in relation to the impact of COVID-19.
In addition to core funding, MOPAC receives funding from third parties such as the Ministry of Justice and discretionary funding from my Mayor’s Budget which is linked to specific deliverables.
There are no unallocated funds present within the MOPAC budget.

Protecting firefighter health (3)

Andrew Dismore: Does the LFB currently provide health screening as a staff benefit? If yes, what benefits does the health screening provided offer?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade offers ‘Well Person’ screenings to all employees. These comprise either a telephone or face–to-face consultation, subject to pandemic restrictions, with an occupational health nurse. At these appointments, a nurse will ask a series of questions covering mental, physical and lifestyle wellbeing. These are designed to detect if there might be particular issues that should be addressed such as cardiac health, nutritional consumption, use of alcohol and exercise. Follow-up questions are asked if there are indications that there is a potential health issue or that there is cause for concern.
Following completion of the consultation, the nurse will signpost the employee to appropriate information sources and services as appropriate.

Property Transformation (2)

Andrew Dismore: How have the visits improved the ways in which fire stations are used? What efficiencies have been found?

The Mayor: The property audits are focused on the condition of the property assets and the performance of the property supply chain to deliver minor projects and maintenance. This will enable London Fire Brigade to target capital spend effectively across the estate using a revised forward works register and prioritisation system.

Property Transformation (1)

Andrew Dismore: The Director of Corporate Services indicated recently that visits to fire stations were being undertaken to improve the way that stations are being used1. How regularly do these visits take place?

1London.gov, ‘Appendix 2: London Assembly Budget and Performance Committee, 22nd September 2020’ [Date accessed 24.11.2020]

The Mayor: There is a new sequence of property audits and compliance visits being implemented that combine external independent reviews on an annual basis, and quarterly inspections undertaken by the new London Fire Brigade facility managers. In addition, the new soft services property contract, which covers cleaning security, pest control and grounds maintenance, includes its own inspection and reporting key performance indicators.

Property Transformation (4)

Andrew Dismore: How much money has property transformation allowed LFB to reinvest back into the Brigade? Where has this money been reinvested?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) is closing the current specialism gaps identified in its property review, to reduce reliance on external suppliers and rationalise the supply chain. This will include LFB recruiting to roles that were previously not in the department including surveyors, facility managers and technical experts. These changes fall within the current LFB property budget using funds from currently outsourced services to support new roles.
These changes will release approximately £1.7m, which will be reinvested into LFB property to provide a modern computer aided facilities management system to improve the interface with fire stations and a new compliance and audit contract that will provide external inspection of the estate and supply chain. The model is cost-neutral to LFB in the first year. In future it is expected that there will be further savings achieved from the property budget which have been submitted to LFB’s finance team as part of the recent savings review.

Property Transformation (3)

Andrew Dismore: Have the changes made led to policy change or vice versa?

The Mayor: The new structure is still being implemented and so it is too early to comment on any outcomes that may arise.

TfL Complaints

Keith Prince: Please provide a monthly breakdown over the last 5 years up to November 2020 for complaints TfL has received in every category?

The Mayor: Please see the attached spreadsheet for a monthly breakdown of complaints received by Transport for London (TfL) by category for the last five years up to November 2020.
From December 2016 through to June 2017, TfL Customer Services switched over to a new Customer Records Management system.This was a phased roll-out in order to provide undisrupted support to customers. As a result, the data initially had limited categorisation hence the unusual trends during this window.

LFB and LAS [2]

Andrew Dismore: What is the monthly cost of seconding firefighters to LAS; and is there agreement with LAS for regular reimbursement of this cost?

The Mayor: An agreement is in place to recover the costs of providing the Ambulance Driver Assist (ADA) from the London Ambulance Service (LAS). These costs relate to allowances paid to the firefighters performing the ADA duties, and costs of overtime to backfill the volunteers as necessary.
The costs currently expected to be reimbursed by the LAS are set out in MQ 2020/4457

TfL Buses Service Volume (3)

Keith Prince: What was the service volume for TfL buses (million km operated) broken down by borough for 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, and 2020/21?

The Mayor: Please see the attachedtable showing bus kilometres operated for the years 2015/16-2019/20 broken down by borough. Data for 2020/21 is not yet available. Operated bus kilometres outside the London boroughs by cross-boundary routes are not included in this table.
In recent years, Transport for London has reduced volumes in inner London where demand has fallen the most, with the greatest reductions in Westminster, Camden, City of London and Kensington and Chelsea. It has either maintained or increased service volumes in over half of outer London boroughs. This is consistent with TfL’s policy, in place since the 2019/20 business plan, of redistributing bus resources to outer London to encourage people to transfer to sustainable modes.
The largest increase in operated bus kilometres occurred in Barking and Dagenham.

TfL Buses Service Volume (2)

Keith Prince: What was the service volume for TfL buses (million km operated) broken down into outer and inner London for 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, and 2020/21?

The Mayor: Please see the table below showing bus kilometres operated for the years 2015/16-2020/21 with a split of inner, outer and cross boundary services for 2017/18-2020/21. It is not possible to provide a split of inner, outer and cross boundary for years before 2017/18 as consistent data is no longer available. The disaggregated stop-to-stop level data needed for this calculation is held in TfL systems for a limited period of time and 2017/18 data was the earliest year for which it had data when this split was first calculated. 2020/21 data is included to period 8 but operated kilometres are suppressed this year because of impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Transport for London has reduced total bus service volumes from 492m in 2015/16 to 476m in 2019/20 to better match passenger demand. This has included modernising the central London network to reflect changing travel patterns and make it more efficient. TfL has maintained or increased service volumes in over half of outer London boroughs, consistent with its policy, in place since the 2019/20 business plan, of redistributing bus resources to outer London to encourage people to transfer to sustainable modes.
Bus operated kilometres (millions)
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
2018/ 19
2019/ 20
2020/21 to Period 8
Inner
NA
NA
153
147
141
83
Outer
NA
NA
326
324
324
195
Subtotal
NA
NA
479
471
465
278
Cross boundary
NA
NA
11
10
10
6
Total
492
495
490
481
475
284

LTN Car Accidents

Keith Prince: How many car accidents have been reported within Low Traffic Neighbourhoods broken down by scheme?

The Mayor: Alongside various other measures of Low Traffic Neighborhoods success, Transport for London (TfL) is setting up systems that cross-reference recorded collisions and injuries with the locations of London Streetspace interventions.
Collision data is reported to TfL by the police and is required to meet the Department for Transport’s (DfT) national statistics reporting instructions. The latest validated information that meets these instructions is available to May 2020. Finalisedfiguresfor 2020 will be published in the ‘Casualties in Greater London during 2020’ factsheet in spring 2021, which is in line with theDfT’spublication of the national dataset.

Fines for Refusal to Wear a Mask

David Kurten: To ask the Mayor how many people have been given fixed penalty notices for failing to wear a face covering on public transport and what has been the total value of the fines?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) began enforcing the requirement to wear face coverings on 4 July 2020. This followed an initial three weeks focusing on engagement and explanation of the new requirement by frontline staff and through extensive customer communications and behaviour change activity.
Between 4 July and 16 December, TfL has issued 1,389 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs). The value of FPNs issued totals £236,600. FPNs must be paid within 28 days. If FPNs are paid within 14 days of the issue date, the penalty amount due is halved, unless an FPN for a laddered, in which case the full amount must be paid. Where an FPN is not paid within 28 days, TfL may issue court proceedings against the offender.

TfL Facility Time

David Kurten: As you will be aware, the practice, known as ‘facility time’ is when an employee takes time off from their normal role to carry out duties and activities as a trade union representative. On 8 October 2020, LBC reported: ‘In Boris Johnson's last year as London’s Mayor, TfL spent £4.4m, or 0.23% of its total wage bill on facility time. That body’s latest accounts show that figure is now £8.7m, or 0.4% of the wage bill.’1 The entire Home Civil Service spends just £10m on facility time. So just over £1m more than TfL, in spite of the fact that it has more than 400,000 staff, to TfL's 27,000. TfL's cost is also around five times higher than the Government's recommended spend for public sector organisations, which is based on the average cost of facility time in the Home Civil Service. Whilst I strongly support the principle of effective labour relations in the workplace, I am concerned by this disparity and would be grateful for an explanation of the reasons behind it.

1https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk/bill-for-tfl-staff-on-union-duties-almost-doubles-under-sadiq-khan/

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) values the constructive relationship it has with the trade unions and recognise the important role they play in representing the workforce. In line with relevant legislation and its own agreements, recognised trade union representatives are permitted reasonable time off during normal working hours to carry out trade union duties. This time accounts for just 0.4 per cent of TfL total wage bill over the last year.
TfL has undertaken several major organisational restructuring programmes in recent years and in line with its commitment to meaningful consultation and constructive engagement, appropriate time off was provided in order for trade unions to representative our staff.
Since I became Mayor, there has been a 76 per cent reduction in the number of days lost to strike action, and TfL remain committed to engaging in constructive dialogue with the trade unions.

Data breaches

Susan Hall: For Dec 18 to Nov 19 and Dec 19 to Nov 20, please provide how many data breaches have occurred in each of the following organisations:
• GLA
• MPS
• TFL

The Mayor: It is a requirement of data protection legislation that all personal data breaches posing a risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms are reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), within 72 hours. Breaches notified to the ICO by Transport for London (TfL) are reported to the Audit and Assurance Committee of the TfL Board in the Legal Compliance Report, which is available on the TfL website.

Metropolitan Police FOI Handling

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor what has been the Metropolitan Police’s compliance level in handling Freedom of Information requests over the last three years?

The Mayor: The requested data can be found within the MPS published FOI dashboard on its website:
https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/freedom-of-information-requests-dashboard/

Crossrail (2)

Gareth Bacon: Given the latest funding package agreed for the completion of Crossrail, can you confirm the proposed opening date of the full line?

The Mayor: Delivery of the Elizabeth line is now in its complex final stages, with a plan to complete the railway focused on the remaining construction and systems integration, followed by intensive operational testing. Crossrail is working to complete the remaining infrastructure so it can fully test the railway and successfully transition the project as an operational railway to Transport for London.
The outgoing Crossrail Board in August forecast that the opening of the central section will be in the first half of 2022. Following the opening of the central section, it is anticipated that full services across the Elizabeth line from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east will be introduced by 2023.
Elizabeth line trains are already in operation between Reading - Paddington and Shenfield - Liverpool Street. The schedule for unifying the three sections of the route is largely dictated by the annual National Rail timetable changes in December and May.

Crossrail (3)

Gareth Bacon: How many drivers are currently trained to drive trains on the Crossrail line? Is this number enough to provide a full service when the line opens in its entirety?

The Mayor: There are currently 477 qualified train drivers employed by Transport for London’s (TfL’s) concessionaire and operator, MTR Elizabeth line, which is sufficient to operate the passenger timetable. These drivers are currently being used to operate TfL Rail services between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, and between Paddington and Reading/Heathrow Airport. A number are also used to support Dynamic Testing of the central operating section, operating trains through the tunnels, as well as supporting the driver training programme.

Crossrail (4)

Gareth Bacon: Please detail the full final fare structure for the whole Crossrail line.

The Mayor: Pay as you go fares in Zones 1-6 will remain on the same Tube or Transport for London zonal fare scale that applies today.
Fares from Shenfield will be set by Greater Anglia and the Department for Transport, as they are today.
Fares from Reading and stations west of Zone 6 will be set by Great Western Railway and the Department for Transport, as they are today.

Car accidents (1)

Gareth Bacon: Presenting the data by year since 2015/16, how many car accidents which caused death have involved a person over-70 in London?

The Mayor: Our Vision Zero goal aims to drive down death and injury on our roads and to protect all road users. Sadly, we know that older Londoners can be more at risk of injury on the roads. In my response, I have interpreted your question to mean how many car collisions, which caused death, involved a car driver aged 70 years or over.
The below table shows the number of fatal collisions involving a car driver aged 70 years or over between 2015 and November 2020, which is the latest information available. Please note that multiple vehicles may be involved in each collision and that some vehicles may not be in direct conflict with the person fatally injured. The figures for 2020 are provisional and subject to change. Finalised figures will be published in the ‘Casualties in Greater London during 2020’ factsheet in spring 2021, which is in line with the Department for Transport publication timescale for the national dataset.
Fatal collisions involving a car driver aged 70 years or over 2015 – November 2020 provisional

London Crime Prevention Fund budget

Susan Hall: Further to the Deputy Mayor for Policing & Crime's commitment in 2016 to sustain the LCPF budget at £72m for a further 4 years, could you please advise as to whether this commitment has been maintained. If so, please provide details as to how the funding has helped to reduce crime in London boroughs, by providing data for each borough.?

The Mayor: The commitment made to sustain the London Crime Prevention Fund (LCPF) budget has been maintained. The total funding allocation for all elements of the LCPF for the four years 2017/18 to 2020/21 is £72,285,000.
Direct funding to boroughs is provided to address local need and demand, and delivery decisions are driven by local priorities. There is significant investment into Integrated Offender Management (IOM), tackling gang crime, managing substance misuse and interventions for young people, among others, but as each is tailored to a local area the outcome measures are individual. A full list of current projects by borough has been included and published on the MOPAC website.

Covid fines

Susan Hall: Since the introduction of Covid fines, please provide a monthly breakdown of how many have been issued?

The Mayor: The MPS publishes information related to COVID-19 Fixed Penalty Notices on its website. Please see the following web page:
https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/covid-19-dashboard/

Stonewall Diversity Champions (1)

David Kurten: How much does the London Fire Commissioner pay Stonewall each year to be a Stonewall Diversity Champion?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) pays an annual membership of £2,500 to participate in the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. In 2019, 35 per cent of LGBT employees at LFB who responded to a Brigade survey agreed that they felt comfortable to be out at work, demonstrating the need for LFB to deliver their Togetherness Strategy and create a workplace where everyone feels they belong. LFB’s Stonewall membership supports them in doing so, providing benchmarking, best practice advice, resources, and guidance on delivering the best possible service for their LGBT staff and communities.

TfL Funding Review

Shaun Bailey: In July you announced an independent review of TfL’s long-term future funding and financing options. When was this report completed and when do you intend to publish the results?

The Mayor: The Independent Panel Review commissioned by the Transport for London Board has delivered its report, which was published on 11 December 2020 and can be found here: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-independent-panel-review-december-2020.pdf

TfL Advertising Spend

Shaun Bailey: How much has the GLA and TfL spent on adverts and other sponsored content in newspapers, since the 2015/16 financial year? Please provide a list of the newspapers and the amount provided to each one.

The Mayor: TfL and the GLA are currently in the process of re-pitching for the media buying provider they use. This means we cannot publish the list of titles with spend for each one as this is commercially sensitive information that would give bidders an advantage.
GLA
To find information on this, please see MQ 2020/4143.
TFL
The accompanying spreadsheet shows Transport for London’s (TfL) total media costs for adverts placed in newspapers and for newspaper partnership activity since 2015/16. Partnership activity is paid for ‘advertorial’ partnerships rather than sponsorship and enables TfL to deliver more detailed information rather than through a single advert.
TfL’s paid advertising is vital to reaching Londoners and others travelling in London with important information about safety, fares, sustainable travel options, scheme changes such as the operating information on the ULEZ, and other aspects of travel.
For example, in 2016, the partnership activity in the Evening Standard, City A.M. and the Metro explained the best value fares for customers. In 2019, the Metro activity explained the causes and consequences of poor air pollution, and how Londoners can collectively make a difference.
Please note there are some marginal differences vs the data provided for the MQ 2020/4142 with spend decreasing for FY 2017/2018 onwards. This is due to a few magazine titles being incorrectly classified as newspapers. This has been correct in the accompanying spreadsheet.

Police Officers (1)

Shaun Bailey: How many police officers has London had for each year over the last 10 years?

The Mayor: This information is published by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on its website: www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/workforce-data-report/

Places of Worship (2)

Shaun Bailey: Has any research been undertaken regarding how far people have to travel to get to their place of worship?

The Mayor: Travel patterns to places of worship are extremely complicated. As well as different faiths, people often have strong personal preferences and will travel across London to attend a particular place of worship – rather than their nearest place of worship.
No particular research has been carried out by the GLA in this area.

Places of Worship (4)

Shaun Bailey: Can you please provide a map which provides a breakdown of all places of worship within London?

The Mayor: The Ordnance Survey provides a class of address that includes places of worship. This data is downloaded regularly by the GLA and has been provided to the member as a map. However, it is worth noting that this relies on individual Boroughs to identify these uses and share that with Ordnance Survey, so cannot be guaranteed to show all places of worship in London

BCU Sex Work Advisory role Review

Andrew Boff: What reviews are there into the BCU Sex Work Advisory role?

The Mayor: The Sex Work Advisor is a new Met role introduced in November 2020. There are two Advisors for each BCU, one based in partnerships, and the other in safeguarding. The Advisors are trained in order to provide specialist support for their colleagues to improve both the consistency and approach to addressing sex work in the local area. The Advisors will undertake this role in addition to their usual duties.
As this is a new area of work, no reviews have yet taken place. The Met will review the effectiveness of this role on a quarterly basis to establish its wider impact. Locally, the Advisors will be linked to partners and specialist providers. Centrally, their work will be coordinated through the lead in the Honour, Belief and Sex (crime & vulnerability) Partnership team and will link to a wider strategic approach via the pan London Sex Worker Advisory Group.

Renaming the CW3 Cycleway

Andrew Boff: The route of the CW3 cycleway goes past the proposed new Chinese Embassy. Will you consider celebrating the freedom of speech for which this city is famous by renaming it the "Joshua Wong cycleway"?

The Mayor: Transport for London’s (TfL’s) current strategy for signing London’s cycling network is to use the Cycleways branding. This approach supersedes the Quietways and Superhighways branding because customer research highlighted that the use of multiple brands could be confusing and misleading for existing and potential customers.
Existing and new cycle routes across London are gradually being combined into a single unified Cycleways network, comprised of numbered “Cycleway routes” and unnumbered “Cycleway links”. None of these routes have a name.
Previous customer research has provided compelling evidence that a simple numbering system which avoids codes or new terminology works best for existing and potential customers.

BCU Sex Work Advisors Training

Andrew Boff: What training do BCU Sex Work Advisors receive?

The Mayor: The initial 4 hour training (December 2020) incorporated the following sessions:
Training is provided by MPS Sex Work Tactical and Policy Advisers, and external partners.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Shaun Bailey: Who will be prioritised for a Covid-19 vaccine in London? Please provide a list showing the various categories.

The Mayor: The expert Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) have set out the following list of who will receive the vaccine. The first group to receive the vaccines in London will be the older care home residents and their carers, people over 80 and some NHS staff.

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (6)

Andrew Dismore: What policies are currently in place for the routine care, maintenance, inspection and professional cleaning of PPE?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) has Policy 693 for structural firefighting PPE, and Policy 533 for Uniform and PPE, excluding structural firefighting PPE.
Policy 693 provides instructions on using structural firefighting PPE. Routine care, maintenance and inspection are set out in detail for each garment. The PPE is cleaned and inspected as part of the managed service contract and each garment has a condition code assigned to it which is reviewed each time it is sent for laundry.
LFB staff can put their garments in for laundry whenever they see fit and there is no limit on this. Specific provisions are also set out for contaminated garments.
Policy 533 covers all other clothing allocations. There is general guidance on the care and maintenance which covers the expectations placed on staff and managers around the care of these garment

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (3)

Andrew Dismore: When were policies for decontamination of PPE and personnel last updated?

The Mayor: The firefighter decontamination policy (PN584) was last reviewed on 29 Nov 2019.

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (4)

Andrew Dismore: Do all fire stations currently have the facilities to allow all firefighters to ‘shower within an hour’ when returning from an incident or following a live fire training exercise? Please provide details of any stations unable to provide this at the moment.

The Mayor: Yes, every fire station has shower facilities to allow firefighters to shower within an hour of returning from an incident or training exercise.

Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents (10)

Andrew Dismore: The FBU’s report ‘Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic effluents’ states that many of the substances firefighters are exposed to are classified as human carcinogens. In addition, the occurrence of disease and cancer are higher than expected amongst firefighters compared to the general population. How can you reassure firefighters that their health and safety are being prioritised and their wellbeing matters?

The Mayor: The health, safety and wellbeing of staff is a priority for London Fire Brigade (LFB). LFB Officers have been working with colleagues in academia and other fire and rescue services internationally to better understand the risks to staff from workplace exposure to carcinogens. LFB has been operating a range of practical control measures to minimise the risks to firefighters from workplace carcinogens for many years. This includes: operational policy with regard to the use of respiratory protective equipment and firefighter decontamination; promoting regular changing of structural firefighting clothing; the provision of staff welfare facilities including showers; and actively monitoring known carcinogens in Brigade workplaces, for example workplace surveys of diesel exhaust emissions.
LFB has pledged to support the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH) ‘No Time To Lose’ campaign promoting the effective management of cancer risk caused by work.

Stonewall Diversity Champions (2)

David Kurten: How much does the Metropolitan Police pay Stonewall each year to be a Stonewall Diversity Champion?

The Mayor: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) pays £3,000 each year for Stonewall Diversity Champion membership.
The Diversity Champions programme is a leading employers' programme for creating inclusive and accepting environments, ensuring all LGBT staff are accepted without exception in the workplace.
The MPS is proud to have been a Stonewall Diversity Champion since 2017.

Delivery of protected cycle routes (10)

Caroline Russell: Thank you for your answer to my question 2019/20741. How many kilometres of protected cycle lanes have you now delivered? Can you give the length by: a) overall kilometres, b) route designation, and c) the start and end points for each delivered section of protected cycle route?

The Mayor: In February 2020, I announced that I had met my election pledge to triple the amount of protected cycling space in London. Further details are provided here: https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/mayor-triples-protected-cycle-space-in-london.
Since meeting my election pledge, Transport for London no longer tracks the delivery of protected cycling space in the same way, so it is unable to provide specific route designation and start/end points for each section. However, I am pleased to inform you that since March 2020, a further 70 kilometres of London Streetspace routes have been constructed to help Londoners travel more easily during the coronavirus pandemic.

Protecting firefighter health (2)

Andrew Dismore: What is the post Grenfell Imperial College firefighter health study designed to establish?

The Mayor: The Grenfell Firefighter Study is looking into the impact of firefighting on the health of firefighters during and after their career. It will be one of the largest studies in the UK into the impact of firefighting on health to date. All firefighters and officers who attended the Grenfell Tower fire will be invited to take part to have a series of tests on their heart and lungs. Staff will also be asked if they wish to provide a blood sample to screen for specific markers associated with cancers and cancer development and whether they agree for their personal data to be linked with other relevant health care records in the future until their death. This data could be used in future potential long term follow-up studies to identify ongoing health issues and cause of death port retirement. The project has the approval of the NHS Ethics Committee.

Car accidents (2)

Gareth Bacon: Please break down the number of car accidents by age group (17 to 19, 20 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, 70 to 79, 80 and over) in the year up to November 2020?

The Mayor: I have interpreted your question to mean the number of car collisions by the driver’s age group.
The below table shows the number of collisions involving a driver by age band for the twelve months ending May 2020, which is the latest information available. Please note that multiple vehicles may be involved in each collision and that some vehicles may not be in direct conflict with the person injured. The figures for 2020 are provisional and subject to change. Finalised figures will be published in the ‘Casualties in Greater London during 2020’ factsheet in spring 2021, which is in line with the Department for Transport publication timescale for the national dataset.
Personal injury collisions by driver age bands 12 months to end May 2020 provisional GLA area

London households

Shaun Bailey: How many households are there in London?

The Mayor: The most recent estimate of households in London is 3,494,980.
(Figure for mid-2018; source ONS 2018-based household projections).
It is important to note that this is an estimate and not a count. The census records the number of households in census year (the last being 2011) and subsequent years are estimated by applying assumptions about household formation to population estimates.

Car accidents (4)

Gareth Bacon: Please break down the number of car accidents which caused death by age group (17 to 19, 20 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, 70 to 79, 80 and over) in the year up to November 2020?

The Mayor: I have interpreted your question to mean the number of car collisions which caused death by the driver’s age group.
The below table shows the number of collisions involving fatal injury and driver by age band from January to November 2020, which is the latest information available. Please note that multiple vehicles may be involved in each collision and that some vehicles may not be in direct conflict with persons fatally injured. Age may be recorded as unknown by the police in the case of failed to stop collision. The figures for 2020 are provisional and subject to change. Finalised figures will be published in the ‘Casualties in Greater London during 2020’ factsheet in spring 2021, which is in line with the Department for Transport’s publication timescale for the national dataset.
Collisions by age bands for known fatal personal injury collisions January – November 2020 (provisional) - GLA area

Crossrail 2

Gareth Bacon: What are your projected timelines for Crossrail 2?

The Mayor: Transport for London’s (TfL’s) funding agreement with the Government of 31 October 2020 includes a commitment in relation to Crossrail 2 that TfL “prioritises safeguarding activity and brings an orderly end to consultancy work as soon as possible. The Department for Transport will support such safeguarding activity for this project as required”.
Therefore, work to seek consent for Crossrail 2 has been paused and TfL is not in a position to confirm when this can restart. TfL’s immediate priority is to work with the Department for Transport (DfT) to refresh the 2015 safeguarding directions in order to protect the route from future development. It is in discussion with the DfT on the likely timetable for this work.
The project has been put in good order, ready to be restarted when the time is right.

Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement (4)

Susan Hall: How many and with which boroughs has the Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement met with since lockdown began in March 2020?

The Mayor: In her role as chair of the Social Recovery Strand, Debbie regularly meets with representatives from a range of London Boroughs, as well as colleagues from the London Councils.
She has also continued to meet with representatives from a number of boroughs to discuss a range of issues beyond recovery through the period since March 2020.

10pm curfew (1)

Leonie Cooper: What impact has the 10pm curfew had on London’s economy?

The Mayor: The Government’s curfew had a terrible impact on London’s night- time economy, earlier during the crisis, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs the night time economy supports. It hit our hospitality, culture and leisure sectors, as well as their suppliers. It may well also have been counterproductive in reducing the risk of the virus spreading by forcing large numbers out on to the streets and transport network simultaneously at 10pm.
Pubs, restaurants and venues across the capital invested considerable sums in making themselves COVID secure. This included cutting capacity, ensuring social distancing, recording contact details for track and trace, and requiring customers to be seated. The curfew, when in place while these venues were open, restricted the ability of businesses to trade profitably and unnecessarily put many of them at risk of closure.

TfL Buses Service Volume (1)

Keith Prince: What was the service volume for TfL buses (million km operated) for 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, and 2020/21?

The Mayor: Please see my responses to Mayor’s Questions 2020/4610 and 2020/4611

London Recovery Board

Andrew Boff: Will you include a representative of organisations for the disabled on the London Recovery Board?

The Mayor: The London Recovery Board and Taskforce are engaging directly with community groups and partners, including Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations.Both bodies are committed to embedding thorough understanding of the needs of all Londoners throughout the Recovery Programme. Representatives from civil society identified for their intersectional expertise and with lived experience of disability have been appointed for this exact reason.
The representatives joining the board are Dr Wanda Wyporska from the Equalities Trust who has pan-equalities expertise particularly on race, gender and social-economic inequality. And Ellen Clifford who works with user-led Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations and has specialist experience of disability equality and lived experience of disability.
Christine Goodall who is coordinator of the HEAR Equality and Human Rights Network and has lived experience of disability is already a member of the London Recovery Taskforce.
The insight and expertise these appointees bring – including through their membership of my Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group – will be invaluable in shaping London’s recovery.

Taipei - Sister City

Andrew Boff: Will you invite Taipei to be a sister city with London?

The Mayor: I am proud that London’s insights, perspectives and expertise are highly sought after around the world. In recent years, London and many other cities around the world have increasingly focussed on exchanging knowledge, expertise, innovations and ideas through international networks like C40 and the World Cities Culture Forum, and I am pleased that the latter of these counts Taipei as a member. We will continue to engage with Taipei through existing networks and bi-laterally, but there no current plans for a formal arrangement.

Spending Review (1)

Len Duvall: What do you consider to be the key points and omissions of the Spending Review in terms of its impact on London?

The Mayor: Ahead of the Spending Review, I was clear there can be no national recovery without a London recovery. I was extremely disappointed that the Chancellor did not address the scale of the challenges facing the capital.
To drive a UK-wide recovery, London must get a fair share from the UK Shared Prosperity and Levelling-Up Funds. The Government must also reconsider its National Infrastructure Strategy which will be “pivoting investment away from London”.
London has some of the highest levels of poverty in the country and levelling-up is a challenge as significant within London as it is across the UK. ‘Levelling down’ London and the South East is not the solution.
The Spending Review provided too little for London’s hardest hit sectors including hospitality, culture and construction. The Chancellor needs to act immediately to rectify this, alongside extending the business rates holiday and abandoning his decision to end VAT-free shopping.

Scrapping Taxis without TfL Consultation

Keith Prince: Broken down for each of the last 6 years, how many London Taxi drivers have been forced to scrap their vehicles without any compensation from TFL?

The Mayor: No taxi drivers have been forced to scrap their vehicles.
There is an air quality crisis in London and taxis are some of the most polluting vehicles on the roads. In central London, taxis are responsible for 25 per cent of all transport emissions of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), and this has been brought into ever starker relief recently as coronavirus is a respiratory illness.
Transport for London (TfL) and I have had to take steps to reduce emissions from the taxi fleet, including a Zero Emission Capable (ZEC) licensing requirement and a phased reduction of taxi age limits. However, we have worked collaboratively with the taxi trade and provided a number of support measures to encourage the uptake of cleaner, greener vehicles and incentivise early adoption, including:

LFB use of reserves

Andrew Dismore: London Fire Brigade are proposing to use £12.1million of reserves this year in order to address overspend within the budget. How much has Covid-19 impacted on the finances of the Brigade and necessitated the use of reserves?

The Mayor: The use of reserves in the current financial year at £12.1m was based on the forecast overspend at Quarter 1. 2020/21. The financial position has been reviewed and updated at Quarter 2 (Q2) and it is now forecast that a £10.6m draw from the reserves will be necessary to meet the forecast overspend, at £5.6m, and the in year funding reductions, at £5.0m. London Fire Brigade will continue to seek to reduce the overspend, and consequent draw on reserves, further by the year end.
The costs of the COVID-19 response are set out in MQ 2020/4472.

LFB cost mitigation and Covid-19

Andrew Dismore: What action has been taken to mitigate costs incurred by the London Fire Brigade due to the pandemic?

The Mayor: The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has incurred additional costs during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to support London’s response to the crisis and keep both our staff and communities safe. At Quarter 2, 2020/21 the LFB forecast that its costs would be £9.4m for this year. These costs have been met in part to date from additional funding from the GLA, cost recovery from the London Ambulance Service for Ambulance Driver Assistance, and a Home Office grant. Discussions about cost mitigation are ongoing, including with the Home Office on the possibility of a further opportunity to recover COVID-19 response costs.

Action Fraud

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor if you are happy with the level of performance of Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting service, run by the City of London Police?

The Mayor: Action Fraud, managed by the City of London Police, is the UK’s reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. This year former Met Deputy Commissioner Sir Craig Mackey published an independent review on Action Fraud which highlighted the need to improve the experience of victims of fraud through and set out 15 recommendations for improvements.
Although the Met is not included in those recommendations, it is of course engaged with the City of London Police on making improvements to these processes and I fully support any action which results in a better service to victims of fraud.
My Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime meets periodically with the City of London Police’s Commissioner where Action Fraud’s response to the recommendations is discussed amongst other matters.

GLA Employees Earning over £100,000 Salary

Susan Hall: Please can you list the total number of GLA staff who earned/are due to earn a salary over £100,000 for each year May-April from 2016 to 2020?

The Mayor: The number of GLA staff who earned a salary of in excess of £100,000 per annum for the years May 2016 to April 2020 are as follows:
Year
Staff no
May 2016 to April 2017
30
May 2017 to April 2018
29
May 2018 to April 2019
30
May 2019 to April 2020
29

Darren Grimes

Peter Whittle: How much tax-payers’ money has the Metropolitan Police expended in its various investigations into the activities of the journalist Darren Grimes? Is he still under investigation and if so, for what?

The Mayor: Neither I, nor the Metropolitan Police Service, make comment on individual investigations.
Investigation costs would have been incurred through officers’ normal tour of duty hours. Therefore, the MPS has informed me that it would be impossible to accurately attribute a cost to the amount of time spent on such individual cases.

London Underground Station Staff

Tony Devenish: As we enter the 21st year of the 21st century with London facing, in your words, "an existential threat post-Covid", how many London Underground station staff do you employ in December 2020 compared to May 2016 across London’s 270 Underground stations?

The Mayor: As of December 2020, TfL employs 5,546 staff across London Underground’s 270 stations. In May 2016 they employed 5,261 staff, so that’s an increase of just under 300. The overwhelming majority of staff are in customer-facing roles focused on delivering a world-class service.
The previous Mayor's ticket office closure programme – Fit for the Future – saw 260 ticket offices close, and over 800 London Underground station staff leave from early 2016, with the majority having left by July 2016, just as I had become Mayor.
As a result of concerns raised with me about these changes, I commissioned London TravelWatch to carry out an independent review of ticket office closures. They recommended that staff should be both available and visible to passengers, because “when staff are more visible and proactively helping passengers, passengers feel safe, secure and satisfied.” TfL responded by increasing staff visibility at stations and recruited an additional 325 station staff.

Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement (3)

Susan Hall: How many times have you met with the Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement since lockdown began in March 2020? Please list the number of meetings, the subject of those meetings, and the outcomes of those meetings.

The Mayor: I meet with Debbie often and since March have attended over twenty meetings with her.

Oyster Cards (2)

Shaun Bailey: How many people used Oyster cards before lockdown in a typical day before Covid?

The Mayor: On a typical midweek day pre-coronavirus, the number of Oyster cards seen across the Transport for London (TfL) network was 2,496,000.
On a typical Saturday pre-coronavirus, the number of Oyster cards seen across the TfL network was: 1,794,700.
On a typical Sunday pre-coronavirus, the number of Oyster cards seen across the TfL network was: 1,326,200.

Oyster Cards (1)

Shaun Bailey: How many Oyster cards are in use?

The Mayor: During the last two months 4,035,000 Oyster cards were used.
On a typical midweek day recently the number of Oyster cards seen across the Transport for London (TfL) network was 1,128,500.
On a recent Saturday, the number of Oyster cards seen across the TfL network was 888,400.
On a recent Sunday, the number of Oyster cards seen across the TfL network was: 612,700.

Car accidents (3)

Gareth Bacon: Presenting the data by year since 2015/16, what proportion of car accidents have involved a person over-70 in London?

The Mayor: Our Vision Zero goal aims to drive down death and injury on our roads and to protect all road users. Sadly, we know that older Londoners can be more at risk of injury on the roads. In my response I have interpreted your question to mean what proportion of car collisions involved a car driver aged 70 years or over.
The below table shows the proportion of collisions involving a driver aged 70 years or older from 2015 to the end of May 2020, which is the latest information available. Please note that multiple vehicles may be involved in each collision and that some vehicles may not be in direct conflict with person injured. The figures for 2020 are provisional and subject to change. Finalised figures will be published in the ‘Casualties in Greater London during 2020’ factsheet in spring 2021, which is in line with the Department for Transport publication timescale for the national dataset.
Personal injury collisions involving a car, 2015 to end May 2020 (provisional) - GLA Area

Piccadilly Line services (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: What impact would the full signalling and rolling stock upgrade have on the frequency of trains on both the Heathrow and Uxbridge branches of the Piccadilly Line?

The Mayor: New trains on the Piccadilly line will allow an initial increase in peak services with the existing signalling from 24 to 27 trains per hour.
A signalling upgrade would provide the capability of up to 36 trains per hour on the core section of the line enabling up to 18 trains per hour on the Heathrow branch. Piccadilly line peak services to Uxbridge are expected to remain at 8 trains per hour as completion of the current 4LM signalling upgrade will enable a combined 20tph peak service frequency between Uxbridge and Central London with faster journey times on the Metropolitan line from 2023.
However, plans for further service enhancements are on hold as the signalling upgrade is currently unfunded. It is vital that the next agreement with Government provides long-term sustainable funding that enables Transport for London (TfL) to properly support the economic recovery of the city and the country as a whole, and the delivery of its planned modernisation programmes. Discussions about this will continue over the coming months, and I hope I can count on the Assembly to support me in securing a settlement which is reasonable and fair for Londoners, and which will safeguard TfL’s future

Crossrail Funding (2)

Alison Moore: What is your latest estimate of the expected Crossrail completion date?

The Mayor: Delivery of the Elizabeth line is now in its complex final stages, with a plan to complete the railway focused on the remaining construction and systems integration, followed by intensive operational testing. Crossrail is working to complete the remaining infrastructure so it can fully test the railway and successfully transition the project as an operational railway to Transport for London.
The outgoing Crossrail Board in August forecast that the opening of the central section will be in the first half of 2022.

Training on PN633

Andrew Dismore: What progress is being made towards an agreement with the FBU over training on PN633?

The Mayor: To help reach agreement with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) on outstanding issues regarding Policy Note 633, London Fire Brigade (LFB) have initiated the ‘Health and Safety Advisory Panel’ (H&SAP) Procedure to facilitate an independent review of the issues concerned. LFB are currently in liaison with the FBU to finalise arrangements for the H&SAP to try to resolve this matter.

London Health Equity Group

Onkar Sahota: Why will the meeting papers for the London Health Equity Group not be made public?

The Mayor: I understand there are no plans at present to make the meeting papers for the officer-led London Health Equity Group public. As a sub-group of the London Health Board, the Health Equity Group provide regular updates to that meeting, which are included in their publicly available papers. Should the Assembly remain keen to see all the papers for the Health Equity Group, then I will raise with Professor Fenton as this decision would need to be taken by him and Mr Tuckley as the co-chairs.

London Health Equity Group

Onkar Sahota: Can you provide an update on the work of the London Health Equity Group?

The Mayor: The London Health Equity Group has met three times since its inception in August 2020. It is providing leadership and coordination to ensure health equity is central to responding to COVID-19 in this phase of the pandemic and in recovery strategies. It reports to the London Health Board chaired by myself.
The Group has been overseeing the development of surveillance indicators for the monitoring and evaluation of health inequalities associated with the impact of COVID-19 and on the determinants of health across London. This will enable decision making that aligns actions to need.
The Group has also been supporting collaboration and action within London’s five Integrated Care Systems to understand and support their work addressing disparities in health outcomes from COVID-19 in their population that were highlighted in PHE’s national report on health disparities from the first phase of the pandemic.

Uptake of Covid-19 Vaccines in London

Navin Shah: The recent poll from the London Assembly Health Committee indicates worrying stats in that a quarter of Londoners (“15% very unlikely”, “10% fairly unlikely”) to take the vaccines with “17% don’t knows”. The concerns are further compounded by additional polls highlighting the reluctance of people from BAME communities to get the jab (“23% very unlikely” and “14% fairly unlikely”). What London wide strategies are planned to encourage much greater take up and extensive and effective distribution of vaccines?

The Mayor: Communications and engagement will be crucial to ensuring successful take up of the vaccine among Londoners, by building awareness and trust among communities and helping to target harder to reach audiences in the priority vaccine groups, as well as tackling some of the broader hesitancy and misinformation around COVID-19 and vaccines.
Partners across London, including the GLA, PHE, NHS London and local authorities, are all committed to working together to build confidence within London’s diverse communities. A system wide task group has been set up to support equitable COVID-19 vaccine deployment in London.
I have written to the Secretary of State to ask that planning for vaccine distribution and communications includes dedicated consideration of how to effectively reach these groups and have also written to the NHS to offer the support of all Mayoral communications channels and networks to take forward this work with the NHS in rolling out the vaccine

NHS Staff – Carparking Charges

Navin Shah: Do you support proposals for 200 per cent hike in hospital parking fees recently reported in the Mail on Sunday? It is not clear when the plan will be implemented but is there any way NHS staff in London can be protected from the hike?

The Mayor: Health and care staff have worked tirelessly to support people through this public health crisis. I do not support huge increases in hospital parking charges during the pandemic, which penalises frontline staff who need to drive to work to reduce risk, or because of their shift patterns.
Decisions about parking charges are made by local organisations who retain the revenue. The article referred specifically to King’s College Hospital. I understand King’s are planning to increase the cost of staff parking but will not start charging during the pandemic.
I want to significantly reduce all road traffic. Evidence from the first lockdown showed dramatic improvements in air quality as a result of the halving of traffic in London. But Londoners deserve clean air at all times. I want to eradicate air pollution permanently and ensure the gains we’ve made through policies such as ULEZ continue.

LFB’s Fire Safety Department (2)

Andrew Dismore: Has the cost of running the LFB’s fire safety department increased since 2017?

The Mayor: The cost of London Fire Brigade (LFB)’s Fire Safety Department has increased since 2017. The net budget for 2017/18 was£17,806,444and for 2020/21 is £22,317,433.
Following the Grenfell Tower fire, LFB received additional funding of £1.5million to enhance the inspection programme, enabling the creation of career pathways for Fire Engineering; introduction of Cold Scene Examiners; investment in Development Officers; an increase in officers within the Central Enforcement team and development of teams and structures within the wider department aligned to core objectives and deliverables.
In 2019, I provided additional funding of £1.1 million to establish a Fire Cadet Units within each London Borough. The pandemic has impacted upon the roll-out of delivery, however it is anticipated that units will open once restrictions have lifted.
LFB has been allocated £5.5 million from the Protection Board, supporting the Building Risk Review Programme.

Filling fire safety posts (2)

Andrew Dismore: How many fire safety posts, and in which ranks, are currently vacant; and what steps are being taken to fill them?

The Mayor: The number of posts that are currently vacant, together with the establishment, is set out in the table below.
Rank/Grade
Establishment
Vacant
Station Commander
18
3
Station Officer
42
6
Sub Officer
62
25.35
FRS F
14.4
2.4
FRS E
29.6
2
FRS D
126.3
37.1
FRS C/D
11.7
2.8
FRS C/D
81.7
6.06
FRS B
63.38
25.38
Total
110.09
A number of approaches have been taken to fill vacancies, including hosting awareness days; re-engaging retiredstaff on flexible working contracts; and advertising for transferees from other fire and rescue services. The most successful approach has been the introduction of Fire Safety Advisers (FSAs), aligned to the national framework.London Fire Brigade recruited 12 FSAs in November 2018, and five of those have recently been promoted to Fire Inspecting Officer.
A recruitment plan has been developed, supported by the Centre of Learning & Excellence, to recruit more FSAs and to bring in operational staff into inspecting roles. During2021, cadres of FSAs and inspecting officers are planned for every quarter to meet and exceed the vacancy margin.

Public Service Secret Shopper

Tony Devenish: I am picking up an “undercurrent” of complaints that public service "customer service" has declined since March. Obviously Covid-19 is a national emergency but it is also when Londoners’ needs are greatest. Would you consider establishing a “secret shopper” team to work across LAS, LFB, Met Police, TfL and NHS London to allay fears?

The Mayor: I am immensely proud of customer service staff who have helped to keep Londoners safe during the Coronavirus pandemic. Now is really not the time to be questioning their commitment and I don’t accept this characterisation of the current situation. Most Londoners understand the difficulties our public services are facing.
I do not believe a pan-service mystery shopper approach is the right way to deliver improvements. Mystery shoppers require rigorous, specific training, relevant to the environment they’re assessing. Having a team that worked across different public services, with very different environments, would not be practical. This would also likely be a very expensive proposal. At a time of pressure on public resources, I don’t think this is justified when there are already robust systems in place.
This includes:

Rising unemployment (1)

Leonie Cooper: The Chancellor’s comprehensive spending review outlined bleak projections for the economy over the coming few months, particularly with regards to unemployment. Can you provide projected unemployment figures for London with comparisons to other UK regions?

The Mayor: We know from the latest ONS regional labour market statistics that London has seen the largest year-on-year rise in the unemployment rate (by 1.8 percentage points) by the end of October and that it has seen a much higher percentage fall in jobs in the period from March to September 2020 compared with the rest of the UK (3.8% vs. 2.6%).
Looking ahead, GLA Economics only produces projections for jobs in London rather than for unemployment rates and it does not produce forecasts for other regions or for the UK as a whole. The latest forecasts were published in the London’s Economic Outlook in December 2020 and show that between the first quarter of 2020 (pre-crisis) and the last quarter of 2020, around 250,000 jobs may have been lost in the capital. This figure may reach over 450,000 in the course 2021. A slow recovery in the labour market is expected to begin in the second half of 2021 although pre-crisis levels will not return until 2023.

TfL Spending Cuts

Keith Prince: Since May 2016 can you honestly claim that you have avoided any cuts to spending on better TfL services and any cuts to spending that would have boosted capacity?

The Mayor: Between May 2016 and the onset of the COVID pandemic in March 2020, Transport for London (TfL) made significant progress in improving its financial resilience. The Assembly Member will recall that, in 2015, the previous Mayor and the then Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed to phase out the Government operating grant for TfL – worth hundreds of millions of pounds annually.
Since then, the Government has repeatedly failed to provide TfL with the certainty of long-term funding needed to enter into commitments to invest in major capacity uplifts programmes and improved services.
With the limited resources available to TfL, I am pleased that development has continued on the Four Lines Modernisation project, the Jubilee line upgrades, the Northern Line Extension, the procurement of new DLR trains, the design of new Piccadilly line trains, and the delivery of the Barking Riverside Extension.
The simple fact is that without sustainable long term funding TfL will have no choice but to make difficult decisions around deferring or cancelling projects to improve services and boost capacity. TfL’s inability to further invest in substantial, vital upgrades is the result of underinvestment by central Government.

Engaging with Londoners

Susan Hall: How would you rate your record of engaging with Londoners, compared with those of your predecessors?

The Mayor: Since becoming Mayor, I’ve made it my priority to engage all Londoners in the work of City Hall, including those whose voices were previously unheard. As cited in a recent report conducted by Bloomberg, my administration’s approach to engagement with Londoners is now seen as a reference point for other cities and organisations around the world. In contrast, at the end of the previous Mayor’s tenure, awareness of the GLA’s work amongst Londoners had dropped and its communications missed out large swathes of hard-to-reach communities.
Since 2016, the GLA’s Talk London platform has grown its membership by nearly 45,000, including more young, and Black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners than ever. As a result, we were able to use Talk London to engage a record number of Londoners in shaping the work of the Recovery Board in September.
We have more Londoners signed up to our email updates than ever before, and in the last year alone we extended our social media reach by 61 per cent on Instagram and by 260 per cent on LinkedIn. In addition, our campaigns have played a huge role in furthering this engagement with vulnerable communities, including London Is Open, which led to over 800,000 visits to our free EU Londoners advice hub and Pay it Forward, which helped raise over £1.4m for London’s small businesses during the pandemic.
In addition to the digital and campaigns work we have done, we’ve also significantly improved engagement with London’s diverse communities. This includes appointing London’s first Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement and introducing a community engagement programme that’s given new communities access to City Hall.
Our city has faced an unprecedented number of crises in the past four years, including seven terrorist attacks, the Grenfell fire, the continued impact of Brexit on our economy and European residents, and now the worst public health crisis we have ever seen. London and its people are resilient but the need to engage with our communities has never been more important; it is vital work and it is work that has never been done better.

The Mayor: Since becoming Mayor, I’ve made it my priority to engage all Londoners in the work of City Hall, including those whose voices were previously unheard. As cited in a recent report conducted by Bloomberg, my administration’s approach to engagement with Londoners is now seen as a reference point for other cities and organisations around the world. In contrast, at the end of the previous Mayor’s tenure, awareness of the GLA’s work amongst Londoners had dropped and its communications missed out large swathes of hard-to-reach communities.
Since 2016, the GLA’s Talk London platform has grown its membership by nearly 45,000, including more young, and Black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners than ever. As a result, we were able to use Talk London to engage a record number of Londoners in shaping the work of the Recovery Board in September.
We have more Londoners signed up to our email updates than ever before, and in the last year alone we extended our social media reach by 61 per cent on Instagram and by 260 per cent on LinkedIn. In addition, our campaigns have played a huge role in furthering this engagement with vulnerable communities, including London Is Open, which led to over 800,000 visits to our free EU Londoners advice hub and Pay it Forward, which helped raise over £1.4m for London’s small businesses during the pandemic.
In addition to the digital and campaigns work we have done, we’ve also significantly improved engagement with London’s diverse communities. This includes appointing London’s first Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement and introducing a community engagement programme that’s given new communities access to City Hall.
Our city has faced an unprecedented number of crises in the past four years, including seven terrorist attacks, the Grenfell fire, the continued impact of Brexit on our economy and European residents, and now the worst public health crisis we have ever seen. London and its people are resilient but the need to engage with our communities has never been more important; it is vital work and it is work that has never been done better.

Affordable homes promise in Kidbrook

Susan Hall: In relation to your press release dated 23/08/16, entitled "Mayor brings forward first TfL site to deliver homes for Londoners", can you please confirm that 400 new homes, 50% to be affordable to rent or buy, have since been built in Kidbrooke?

The Mayor: There is a housing crisis in London, and Transport for London (TfL) is helping to address it by delivering a range of high quality, affordable homes to meet demand. TfL and Notting Hill Genesis’ application for 619 homes, 50 per cent affordable (309 homes), at Kidbrooke Station was approved in October 2019 and by early 2020 construction had started on-site. All of the affordable homes will be delivered as part of the first phase.

Kensington High Street Shared Lane (1)

Tony Devenish: As there is now a “temporary" shared lane for traffic and buses in Kensington High Street how has this affected the average journey time for buses?

The Mayor: The temporary changes on Kensington High Street were led by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) with funding from Transport for London (TfL). RBKC started works to introduce protected cycle lanes on 29 September. RBKC announced a unilateral, disappointing and premature decision to remove the protected cycle lanes on Sunday 29 November. The removal of lanes and associated infrastructure began on the evening of Wednesday 2 December. This has now been completed.
TfL and the borough had agreed a monitoring approach which would assess the benefits and impact of these changes on general traffic, buses and cyclists. Data had been collected to this end.
There had been utility works on Kensington High Street, RBKC works on Melbury Road and other roadworks in the local area during most of the period that the cycle lanes were in operation. However, during the last few weeks that the cycle lanes were in, bus journey times were similar to the same time last year. In addition, cycle flows increased dramatically when the cycle lanes were installed with 3,000 cyclists per day recorded on most days.

Crossrail NDAs

Shaun Bailey: How many NDAs have Crossrail employees signed in each year since 2015/16 including the current year?

The Mayor: Crossrail Ltd has never used standalone non-disclosure agreements for its employees. Upon an individual leaving Crossrail Ltd’s employment, it may be necessary that they sign a settlement agreement that includes provisions for protecting confidential information, but they do not prevent individuals from raising legitimate concerns about the organisation.

Pause to cycleway programme

Caroline Russell: The Transport for London (TfL) cycleways web page states that: “development of future cycleways has been paused while you work on Streetspace for London.” With a temporary funding deal now agreed with Government, can this programme resume?

The Mayor: Transport for London is restarting the Cycleways programme following the funding deal that was agreed with the Government in November. Some sections of the Cycleway schemes on the programme have, however, been delivered in temporary materials under the Streetspace for London Programme in the first half of 2020/21. Work is therefore also beginning on determining which of the Streetspace schemes delivered to date should be considered for installation as permanent schemes, subject to further local engagement.

Rising unemployment (3)

Leonie Cooper: It is clear that some sectors, especially retail, hospitality, aviation, culture and creative, are being hit harder by rising unemployment than others. Can you give a breakdown of levels of unemployment in these sectors, using the most up to date figures available?

The Mayor: Between the March and September quarters, the unemployment rate rose from 4.7% to 6.0% in London (1.3 percentage points, pp), and from 4.0% to 4.8% in the UK (0.8pp).
Data on unemployment by previous industrial sector is only available at the UK level. The data is not seasonally adjusted, meaning results should be interpreted with caution when compared within a single year. It is possible there are seasonal patterns to employment within particular sectors. The industry categories do not map with those requested, only to Standard industrial Classification (SIC) 2007. For the UK, this data shows that between the March and September quarters:

Slump of Tourism in London

Navin Shah: It is suggested that UK could lose £60 million a day through a slump in tourism. London’s Tourism industry accounts for one in seven jobs in the capital. This, in the short and long term also means a deep decline in the viability of various sectors including retail, leisure, creative, culture and hotels etc. Experts within the tourism industry agree that the tourism sector needs much greater and specific support from Government. How far has the Government recognised this and do you think there is adequate support available from Government for a sustained recovery?

The Mayor: No, the support made available by the Government is not sufficient to deal with the scale of the crisis facing London’s hospitality, retail, leisure and cultural sectors which are highly dependent on international tourism. Whilst Iwelcomed the extension of the furlough scheme to next March, we need further action now to limit the economic damage to the capital. I have recently called for a special payment to businesses in hospitality and cultural sectors to compensate for lost income over the festive period.
Businesses need to be able to access support via Local Restrictions Support Grants and Discretionary Grants. I have requested an extension to the business rates holiday for retail, leisure and hospitality businesses which was due to end in March 2021. I have also asked the government to abandon their decision to end the Retail Export Scheme which is hugely important in attracting international visitors.
When the restrictions can be safely eased, London’s tourism-dependent industries will need support to increase consumer confidence and footfall by promoting the capital to both Londoners and domestic tourists from the rest of the UK. Then when international travel restrictions are eased, to international tourists. Since the Summer, London & Partners have been running the ‘#Because I’m a Londoner’ campaign, backed by an alliance of London businesses, to build confidence and encourage consumer spending.

City Hall – Anti-Racist Organisation

Navin Shah: In your initiative you refer to actions and targets by gender and ethnicity. What will be the process for monitoring outcomes and review if needed?

The Mayor: The GLA’s Chief Officer and Corporate Management Team lead on monitoring outcomes and review progress through the GLA Diversity and Inclusion Management Board, which meets quarterly and which my Chief of Staff attends. Updates on outcomes and impact will also be provided to the London Assembly through the regular workforce reporting to the GLA Oversight Committee. The GLA regularly reports to the Assembly on workforce data, including workforce representation and the impact of initiatives to create a more inclusive culture, including our gender and ethnicity pay gap action plans. The GLA has established an internal Race Equity Action Group which will also monitor outcomes and will work to drive forward progress.

Road Rage

Tony Devenish: For Dec 17 to Nov 18, Dec 18 to Nov 19 and Dec 19 to Nov 20, please provide the number of road rage incidents in London?

The Mayor: There is no specific offence of road rage. This could describe many offences with or without a motor vehicle, so the MPS informs me that it would be impossible to document accurately this offence.

Covid rules and mental health

Tony Devenish: How are you ensuring the police are balancing enforcing Covid rules with recognising that the restrictions may have caused additional mental health issues ?

The Mayor: Please see my answers to 2020/4042 and 2020/4034

Money laundering

Murad Qureshi: How is the Met working with HMRC and other financial authorities to tackle money laundering?

The Mayor: The MPS holds a number of regular meetings with partner agencies to tackle various different aspects of Money Laundering. Some of these are overseen by the London Serious Organised Crime Partnership Board which is co-chaired by Commander Alex Murray and Paul Wylie (MOPAC Director of Strategy). Partners at these meetings include HMRC, NCA, FCA, Trading Standards, Gambling Commission, and the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. At these partnership board meetings recent agenda items include Money Service Businesses, Property Markets, Art Markets, Crypto-assets and the Cash Freight sector.

Flu Vaccine

Tony Devenish: What more can you do to publicise flu vaccine take up rates in North Kensington? Will you use the local bus and tube network to press home this vital public health message please?

The Mayor: Each year the flu kills around 11,000 people and hospitalises thousands more. This year it’s more important than ever for people at risk to get their free flu vaccine. The vaccine is the best protection for you and those around you.
I have supported the NHS London Campaign to encourage eligible Londoners to get their flu jab promoting this through my social channels and stakeholder networks, and I had my own at the end of September.
The NHS has access to TFL’s commercial advertising estate in the normal way, as it has already been doing for its current Coronavirus information campaigns.
We will continue to work with local governments as the roll out of the COVID vaccine continues across London. We hope that the experience and lessons learned through this will also strengthen our approach to future campaigns for other vaccines and immunisations, including the flu jab.

LFB and LAS [3]

Andrew Dismore: What changes in arrangements such as shift patterns have been made to seconding firefighters to LAS; and how many are currently being seconded?

The Mayor: As of 9 December 2020, there are 12 London Fire Brigade (LFB) firefighters seconded to London Ambulance Service (LAS) on Ambulance Driver Assistance. Those firefighters have moved onto LAS shift patterns. The LAS shift pattern is 4 days on (2 x 12 hr days; 2 x 12 hr nights) followed by 5 days off, with some ad hoc shifts, averaging overall 37.5 hrs a week, plus an additional 30 mins at commencement and end of each shift. This compares to the normal LFB shift pattern of 2 days (10.5 hr shifts), 2 nights (13.5 hrs shifts) and 4 days off.

Gallows Corner

Keith Prince: Do you feel TfL did enough to notify my constituents and me in advance about the hugely disruptive works at Gallows Corner and will you commit to ensuring that I am always notified in advance on any disruptive major works in my constituency?

The Mayor: TfL always seeks to notify and consult the relevant local authority, stakeholders and residents ahead of carrying out any significant or disruptive maintenance works. There are occasions where emergency works need to take place for safety critical reasons which could mean that the local authority and others are informed at short notice or retrospectively.
I understand, on the occasion in question, TfL needed to carry out an urgent structural inspection on the steelwork of the Gallows Corner flyover. The inspection took place during the half term break when we often see a reduction in traffic levels so the impact was expected to be minimal. That, and the urgent nature of the works, meant TfL didn’t feel advanced communications with local stakeholders were required on this occasion.
However, the impact of COVID-19 has seen traffic patterns become less predictable. Traffic levels in half-term did decrease in the morning peaks but they stayed the same at other times including the evening peak. This led to greater disruption than expected at those busier times. As soon as they noticed the disruption, TfL were in contact with the London Borough of Havering.
I appreciate this will have been of little help for your residents who were impacted by this closure. I have been assured that TfL will give advance notice to key stakeholders, including you, of any further scheduled works to the Gallows Corner flyover. TfL will also continue working closely with Havering Council and the DfT on plans to transform Gallows Corner. As you know, our ability to commit investment is constrained by lack of certainty beyond the end of the current Government funding agreement.

Recovery of tourism (1)

Leonie Cooper: At a recent meeting of the Economy Committee, London & Partners suggested that international tourism may not fully recover until 2024. Do you agree with that assessment?

The Mayor: London & Partners’ assessment is based on Visit Britain forecasts, which indicate that international visits to London are unlikely to reach 2019 levels until 2024.
This pattern of recovery is in line with research from previous public health crises, which shows that international travellers are the last to return with local visitors returning first followed by domestic visitors.
I am determined to do everything I can to encourage tourists to return to London safely, whilst supporting business sectors who are reliant on them in the meantime. Initiatives like London & Partners’ “Because I’m A Londoner” campaign are important to drum up consumer confidence amongst local visitors and support London’s businesses and cultural institutions that rely on tourism, whilst we plan for longer term recovery.
In the meantime, London & Partners are continuing to promote their Virtually London activity on London’s official website, Visit London, to ensure we keep London front of mind for when international visitors can return.

“Because I’m a Londoner” campaign

Leonie Cooper: Can you provide an update on how London & Partner’s #BecauseImALondoner campaign to restore consumer confidence is progressing?

The Mayor: London & Partners convened an Alliance of over 600 London businesses to launch the city-wide, ‘Because I’m a Londoner’ campaign this summer to build consumer confidence and encourage consumer spending.
Key activity points for the campaign included the summer holidays and October half-term. The Christmas phase of the campaign was underway, encouraging Londoners to safely and responsibly explore London’s attractions, but has been paused while London is in Tier 3.
London & Partners used an external research agency to measure the outcomes of the campaign between July-October. Evaluation of the campaign shows it was highly effective. The campaign successfully achieved a 5% absolute increase in consumer confidence. Polling indicated that 58% of Londoners who were regular users of hospitality, retail and leisure facilities before coronavirus were aware of the campaign. Those Londoners spent on average £51 more on leisure than those who didn’t see the campaign.

Recovery of tourism (2)

Leonie Cooper: What levels of domestic tourism have we seen in 2020, compared to 2019?

The Mayor: Domestic tourism is vital to London’s economy. According to Visit Britain data, London attracted over 12m domestic overnight visits in 2019. We do not yet have data for 2020 domestic visits.
My international promotion agency, London & Partners, has been working closely with central government to support their ‘Escape the Everyday’ campaign to encourage domestic visitors from the rest of the UK to visit London.
London & Partners are also targeting local audiences with their ‘Because I’m A Londoner’ campaign. Research from previous health crises shows that this audience are the first to return to retail and leisure venues, and it is therefore important to encourage them to safely explore the city and provide a boost to London’s tourism economy.
Until tourism returns to pre-pandemic levels, and to support the long-term recovery of London, the tourism sectors reliant on the income from visitors will need ongoing Government support. City Hall analysis of forecasts by VisitBritain show overseas tourists will spend £7.4 billion less on goods and services in London’s economic and cultural centre in 2020, while domestic tourists will spend £3.5 billion less. This is in comparison to the financial impact of the fall in commuters – which is a £1.9 billion loss in spending (£1.4 billion from commuters living in London and £0.5 billion from those outside).

Victoria Line Noise - Islington (3)

Shaun Bailey: Islington residents need the respite of slower trains during the section of the Victoria line track but have been told it will ‘affect the timetables’. Slowing the trains would not fix it the problem but would provide some respite. Will the Mayor consider this?

The Mayor: Tube noise remains a priority for both Transport for London (TfL) and me. I know TfL recognises the impact that Tube noise can have and understands the importance of minimising noise levels for local residents, customers and Tube staff. TfL has carried out extensive works aimed at reducing noise levels in Islington over recent years.
TfL does not plan to introduce speed restrictions in this area. Given the frequency of service on the Victoria line, any speed restriction applied between Highbury & Islington and King’s Cross, even off-peak, would likely lead to a reduction in service at a time when TfL needs to continue operating a full planned service to enable social distancing.

Victoria Line Noise - Islington (2)

Shaun Bailey: Islington residents have informed me that TfL has agreed to grinding, which has an effect for less than two months twice a year. This is an insufficient solution only lowering the noise relatively (59 to 47 decibels). How much is being spent on this process?

The Mayor: Tube noise is a priority for both me and Transport for London (TfL), which has twice carried out extensive rail grinding in this area this year. Rail grinding in this area has remained beneficial beyond two months, and significantly reduced noise levels for the majority of residents monitored.
My Deputy Mayor for Transport and TfL officers met with local residents and stakeholders in October 2020. During this meeting, residents noted that rail grinding had produced significant benefits.
Despite financial challenges, TfL continues to invest significant funding in track renewal and maintenance. This includes a continuous programme of rail grinding and track modernisation.
TfL does not record cost data in the format you have requested. Many of the works carried out to address noise and vibration issues are carried out alongside routine maintenance works. In addition, many of the resources used – including both staff and equipment – are not used exclusively to address Tube noise.

Victoria Line Noise - Islington (1)

Shaun Bailey: Hundreds of Islington residents have been suffering with horrific tube noise levels since 2017, when flat bottom track was installed on the Victoria line without an essential track fastener such as Delkor. When will the correct material be installed?

The Mayor: Tube noise is a priority for both Transport for London (TfL) and me.
The Highbury & Islington area remains a key focus for TfL, and my Deputy Mayor for Transport and TfL officers have met with local residents and stakeholders a number of times this year.
TfL has twice carried out extensive rail grinding in the area this year. This has covered approximately 3,500 metres of track between Highbury & Islington and King’s Cross St. Pancras, including both the north and southbound tracks. Noise monitoring carried out earlier this year found the grinding carried out in May 2020 significantly reduced noise levels for the majority of residents monitored. A second period of rail grinding in this area was completed last month, and further noise monitoring will be carried out over the coming weeks, subject to coronavirus restrictions, to determine its impact.
TfL explored the option of carrying out Deep Tube Reconditioning (DTR) in this area, which would include the installation of a noise-dampening rail fastening. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on TfL’s finances, and there is currently no funding available for DTR work in this area.
TfL will continue to engage closely with local residents in this area to understand and address any issues within its operational and financial constraints.

Updated Business Cases for TfL Capital Projects

Keith Prince: Given the inevitable variations in demand for different transport projects in the light of Covid-19 and the changes to people’s working patterns, have you instructed TfL to re-calculate the business cases for all ongoing and potential projects?

The Mayor: Transport for London’s (TfL’s) capital expenditure is being re-prioritised to projects which are sufficiently robust to a range of future demand scenarios. These scenarios take account of the pandemic, its economic consequences and possible changes in travel behaviour. These are described in the Travel in London report (see page 75 of http://content.tfl.gov.uk/board-20201209-agenda-papers-public-amended.pdf ). TfL is also using these to re-examine project benefits as each approaches its next point of assessment when business cases are refreshed. This will enable TfL to ensure that the options and projects taken forward provide the best value for money and meet the future travel needs in London.

Maximising Revenue from TfL's Capital Assets

Keith Prince: Do you accept you should seek to maximise revenue from TfL’s capital assets before agreeing to increase the Mayor’s Precept?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has made clear in its submission to the 2021/22 Mayor’s Budget that – given the need to generate long-term revenue – there will be no disposal of revenue-producing assets which would be commercially beneficial in the longer term. Instead TfL is investing to drive additional income and housing from its portfolio across London.

ULEZ Expansion (4)

Keith Prince: Please provide a map detailing the positions of all the cameras that TfL plans to introduce in order to ensure the expansion of the ULEZ to the North and South Circulars is effective, including which cameras are already in position and which are yet to be put in place.

The Mayor: The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will build upon the success of the central London ULEZ to further improve air quality for millions more Londoners.
ULEZ enforcement is designed to incentivise drivers to change their behaviour in order to meet the required emissions standards. The area covered by the existing ULEZ has around 650 cameras. Whilst the new zone will be 18 times the size, new technology means only around 750 additional cameras need to be installed. TfL began installing cameras in August.
Cameras will be placed at every entry and exit point and at appropriate locations within the zone. Transport for London does not publish the locations of its cameras, as this would undermine their deterrent effect. Some of the cameras will be moveable and will be placed at different locations within the zone, ensuring effective operation of the scheme.

Fire and Building Safety (4)

Caroline Pidgeon: Are you and the LFB looking at how you can work with London’s world-leading tech sector to create and trial building and fire safety solutions across the capital?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) officers work with industry across a range of forums, committees and standard bodies and welcomes innovative solutions to building and fire safety. For example, officers have had significant input into the standard for building evacuation systems (BS8629), are active in the field of alternative fuels and connective technologies and are involved with forums dealing with modern methods of construction. However, it is essential that innovate solutions have been sufficiently researched and tested, so that they do not pose a risk to public safety. As a public service and regulator, LFB cannot endorse products or provide commercial advantage to private sector companies.

Removal of LTNs

Leonie Cooper: I refer to question MQT 2020/3899, has this review taken place and if so, did Wandsworth Council receive all the funding and did any funds have to be claimed back?

The Mayor: Having reviewed the submission, Transport for London agreed to reimburse Wandsworth’s costs incurred in installing those Low Traffic Neighbourhoods that were implemented and subsequently removed. All funding of Streetspace schemes is subject to an audit process which may lead to funding being reduced

Scaffold Licence TFL10107

Leonie Cooper: Could the Mayor through TfL please investigate the situation in Upper Tooting Road with regard to this expired scaffolding licence and be in contact with the company to make sure it renews its licence or is fined?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that this scaffold licence was renewed on 2 November and was replaced by TFL11084, which is valid 29 August 2020 until 31 January 2021.
Prior to the licence being renewed, TfL issued a notice to the developer on 4 September for the licence that expired at the end of August. This was followed up with several discussions with the developer that led to the licence being renewed on 2 November. As there was active communication between both parties no enforcement was required.
TfL is aware that the licence has not been displayed properly on the site and has previously contacted the licensee to request that this be displayed. TfL contacted the licensee again on 8 December and has been advised that the scaffolding will be removed by Friday 11 December. TfL’s on-street officers regularly inspect the site, and carried out a visit on Monday 14 December and have confirmed that the scaffolding has now been removed.

Hammersmith Bridge (3)

Leonie Cooper: How many times has the taskforce met to discuss the situation and has City Hall been represented at every meeting?

The Mayor: At the time of writing the Taskforce has met ten times. Transport for London’s Managing Director of Surface Transport has been present at all ten meetings, and my Deputy Mayor for Transport has been present at nine, sending a deputy on the one occasion she could not attend. City Hall has therefore been represented at all ten meetings.
Baroness Vere publishes notes of all Taskforce meetings on the Department for Transport’s website at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hammersmith-bridge-taskforce-meeting-27-november-2020/.

Hammersmith Bridge (1)

Leonie Cooper: Can you give me an update on the current situation for the bridge repairs?

The Mayor: Transport for London’s (TfL) six-month emergency funding settlement agreement with Government means that it was able to tell its contractors, Kier Group, to start the first stage of works on Hammersmith Bridge at the beginning of December. From now until March 2021, TfL will carry out investigative work on the western side of the bridge to help engineers understand the overall condition of the bridge and identify any further cracking.
TfL has also prepared detailed plans for the next stage of works – stabilisation, which would allow the bridge to be re-opened to pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic. These works could start from the end of March 2021, but only if further funding is made available. At the same time, the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce is reviewing the new proposal put forward by Hammersmith & Fulham and ‘Foster + Partners’ to understand its viability.

City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (2)

Leonie Cooper: How will CHANGE (City Hub and Network for Gender Equity) be evaluated?

The Mayor: A small secretariat will be established for CHANGE which will be responsible for the network’s monitoring and evaluation framework.
Given the differences and similarities between the co-founding cities, it is crucial that the work of the network and related projects and initiatives can be tailored to specific city contexts to ensure impact and success. Each city will therefore tailor its pilot initiatives or programmes according to their own context, using CHANGE’s mission statement as a core, guiding principle. Given the global adoption and widespread use of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the network will use the common language of SDG Goal 5 to standardise metrics and track progress. Once projects have been implemented, cities will have up to one year to report on data-driven results, and a report will summarise lessons learned

Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement (5)

Susan Hall: What specific actions did you task the Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement with to contribute to London’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic? a) How many actions has she achieved, b) How many actions remain outstanding, and c) What Key Performance Indicators did you ask her to perform against?

The Mayor: Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard currently oversees a broad range of high priority work in London. This includes helping me to tackle rising poverty and inequality, food insecurity, the disproportionate impact of COVID on London’s diverse communities, as well as supporting London’s civil society, volunteers and the community sport sector in the wake of this crisis. She chairs London’s Strategic Migration Partnership, my Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board and has driven work to support EU Londoners, the Windrush Generation, and Londoners with insecure status.
In recent months she has supported me to be the first Mayor of London to adopt an Anti-Racist Policy at City Hall, set up a new Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm and deliver an action plan to improve relations between Black Londoners and the Police.
In addition to all of the above she now chairs the Social Recovery Strand of the London Recovery Programme.

Gender Pay Gap (3)

Leonie Cooper: How will you ensure that City Hall’s gender pay gap will remain close to zero in the re-profiling of the GLA budget?

The Mayor: The GLA is committed to reducing the Gender Pay Gap and has a robust action plan in place to tackle pay disparity. The action plan is published on the GLA website alongside the GLA’s Gender Pay Gap report. In any re-profiling of the GLA’s budget, work on initiatives to eliminate the Gender Pay Gap will continue to be prioritised. While there is not a direct link between the re-profiling of the GLA’s budget and the Gender Pay Gap, we recognise that changes to the organisational structure may have an impact. The GLA will follow its Organisational Change Policy and Procedure throughout any proposed organisational change, and proposals will be consulted on with staff and Unison. An equality impact assessment (EIA) will be undertaken for any significant change, and we will work to mitigate any adverse equality impact arising from change and ensure that there is no direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of gender. The findings of any Equality Impact Assessments will be shared with Unison and staff.

Fire and Building Safety (3)

Caroline Pidgeon: What percentage of the high-rise buildings (those over 6 storeys or 18 metres tall) in London have had their fire risk assessments collected and formally reviewed by the LFB in the last 24 months?

The Mayor: Officers have carried out 4475 audits of buildings over 6 floors since November 2018.
As set out in MQ 2020/4278, London Fire Brigade does not collect fire risk assessments, though inspecting officers review them as part of the audit process

Fire and Building Safety (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: In the last 24 months how many fire risk assessments have been collected by the London Fire Brigade from the Responsible Person and how many of them have been formally reviewed? Please break this down by i) the height of building, and ii) the month/year in which they were collected.

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade’s inspecting officers do not generally collect fire risk assessments. Consideration of a responsible person’s fire risk assessment forms part of the audit process and is usually conducted at the premises to determine whether, when viewed against the facts on the ground, the assessment is suitable, sufficient and has been acted upon. Where a fire risk assessment is not available on site or further consideration is required then the responsible person may be asked to send a copy to the inspecting officer. However, the occasions in which this has happened could only be determined by individual review of each of the files for the premises audited over the last 24 months.

City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (1)

Leonie Cooper: I welcome the news that the capital is a co-founding member of a ground-breaking international network of cities committed to advancing gender equality. What practical steps will be implemented as a result of this new initiative?

The Mayor: We know women and girls around the world, including in London, continue to face numerous forms of discrimination including lack of opportunities, unequal pay, physical and sexual violence, a disproportionate share of unpaid labour and low levels of political representation. The overarching objective of CHANGE (the City Hub and Network for Gender Equity) is to achieve systemic change so that there is true gender equality in our cities.
Through CHANGE, London will work alongside the other co-founding cities to identify common disparities amongst city partners, such as women in senior leadership or women’s disproportionate unpaid labour. This will be the initial focus areas for the network, and each city – including London - will be responsible for developing of furthering initiatives to address these issues..
At the end of its first year, CHANGE will issue a best-practice guide for other cities based on successful gender equity practices in the co-founding cities. The network will also offer technical assistance to other cities that wish to implement system-wide change, meaning London will continue to be a world leader in the pursuit of gender equality

Fire and Building Safety (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: How many residential buildings in London are currently subject to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005?

The Mayor: The Ministry ofHousing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) estimates there are around 55,000 apartment buildings over 11m where the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) would apply. Separately to the MHCLG estimate,London Fire Brigade (LFB) is aware of 17,588 blocks offlats of three floors or less; 7,208 houses of two floors or less that have been converted to flats; 1,070 purpose built flats; 16,671 premises converted to flats; 795 halls of residence for over 18 students; 23 accommodation blocks for students under the age of 18; 2,784 hostels and 3,130CQC registered care homes for which they hold fire safety files.
This does not include residential accommodation above commercial premises suchshops and offices where they are part of the same premises as this would be recorded under the commercial use. LFB has not sought to identify the number of premises, as the local authority have the lead for fire safety in those premises.

Ethnicity Pay Gap

Leonie Cooper: How will you ensure that City Hall’s ethnicity pay gap does not get larger in the re-profiling of the GLA budget?

The Mayor: The GLA is committed to reducing the Ethnicity Pay Gap and has a robust action plan in place to tackle pay disparity. The action plan is published on the GLA website alongside the GLA’s Ethnicity Pay Gap report. We have recently set up a new Race Equity Action group who will drive progress in this area. In any re-profiling of the GLA’s budget, work on initiatives to eliminate the Ethnicity Pay Gap will continue to be prioritised. While there is not a direct link between the re-profiling of the GLA’s budget and the Ethnicity Pay Gap, we recognise that changes to the organisational structure may have an impact. The GLA will follow its Organisational Change Policy and Procedure throughout any proposed organisational change, and proposals will be consulted on with staff and Unison. An equality impact assessment (EIA) will be undertaken for any significant change, and we will work to mitigate any adverse equality impact arising from change and ensure that there is no direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity. The findings of any Equality Impact Assessments will be shared with Unison and staff.

Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement (2)

Susan Hall: What specific work has the Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement done to date in relation to London's recovery from COVID-19?

The Mayor: Dr Debbie Weekes Bernard was appointed as chair to the Social Recovery Strand of the London Recovery Programme in June 2020. Working jointly with members of the recovery partnership, including London local government and civil society, Debbie has led the development of five Missions to secure London’s social recovery, focussing on support for young people, mental health and wellbeing, access to healthy food, a robust safety net and strong communities. These missions have been endorsed by the London Recovery Board.
To ensure that community voice is at the forefront of Recovery, since March, Debbie has led an unprecedented and ambitious community engagement programme, meeting with a diverse range of communities most affected by COVID. For example, she recently chaired a powerful public roundtable with me and London’s East and South East Asian community to discuss a range of pressing issues including the exponential rise in hate crime they’ve faced following the pandemic.

Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement (1)

Susan Hall: What specific work is the Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement currently working on?

The Mayor: Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard currently oversees a broad range of high priority work in London. This includes helping me to tackle rising poverty and inequality, food insecurity, the disproportionate impact of COVID on London’s diverse communities including ensuring that Londoner’s voices are heard in the recovery, as well as supporting London’s civil society, volunteers and the community sport sector in the wake of this crisis. She chairs London’s Strategic Migration Partnership, my Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board and has driven work to support EU Londoners, the Windrush Generation, and Londoners with insecure status.
In recent months she has supported me to be the first Mayor of London to adopt an Anti-Racist Policy at City Hall, set up a new Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm and deliver an action plan to improve relations between Black Londoners and the Police.
In addition to all of the above she now chairs the Social Recovery Strand of the London Recovery Programme.

Community Speedwatch programmes (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: After running for a number of years how is the Community Speedwatch programme being monitored in terms of its effectiveness of reducing levels of speeding in the areas that it operates in?

The Mayor: Community Roadwatch is an important initiative in helping to tackle speed and attitudes towards speeding, which is a key source of danger on London’s Roads. Community Roadwatch is one part of a wide range of activities to tackle speed used by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Transport for London (TfL), together with lowering speed limits, on-street and camera enforcement, behaviour change activities and communication campaigns. This makes it difficult to measure the effectiveness of one intervention alone in reducing levels of speeding.
Community Roadwatch gives residents the opportunity to work side-by-side with their local police teams and use speed detection equipment to identify speeding vehicles in their communities. Warning letters are issued to speeding drivers and the information informs future police deployments. Community Roadwatch launched in 2017 and nearly 4,000 sessions have been held so far, with over 88,281 drivers being caught speeding. TfL’s research shows that one-fifth of Londoners claim to be aware of ‘Community Roadwatch’, and over half of those think it’s effective, rising to almost three in four among those with children in the household.

Making TfL More Efficient and Profitable

Keith Prince: Since May 2016 have all your spending reductions at TfL had the impact of making TfL a more efficient and profitable organisation?

The Mayor: Prior to Coronavirus pandemic, Transport for London (TfL) had made huge strides to reduce its operating deficit and work towards a surplus, with a trajectory to financial sustainability by 2022/23, through a continued programme of organisational change to drive through efficiency and savings, as set out in last year’s Business Plan.
TfL reduced its cost base and started generating new sources of commercial income – this reduced the deficit on our day-to-day operations by £1bn on a like-for-like basis, from 2015/16 to 2019/20.
Last year’s Business Plan sets out the improvements in efficiency and TfL was on track to achieve by 2024/25 on the Tube and Bus network. (Follow link below, refer to pages 20 to 23)
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-business-plan-2019.pdf

Vaccination Priority

Joanne McCartney: Will you lobby the Government to ensure that domiciliary care workers are prioritised for COVID vaccinations – they are not currently in the priority groups, but are key frontline workers moving from home to home?

The Mayor: The experts on the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have set out the prioritisation list for who will receive the vaccine, and the priority groups cover around a quarter of the population and covers 90-99% of those at risk of dying from Covid-19.
But as we continue this monumental roll out of the vaccine, I have been clear that I want to be actively involved in discussions with the Government to ensure the needs of all London’s communities are met, and that vulnerable Londoners are able to access the vaccine as soon as it is possible to do so.
This will include the prioritisation of our front-line key workers, including domiciliary workers, who not only support our vulnerable members of our society, many of whom also belong to Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

Rotherhithe Bridge (1)

Keith Prince: Do you regret promising to deliver the Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf pedestrian and cycle bridge in your 2016 manifesto?

The Mayor: I do not regret promising to deliver the Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf pedestrian and cycle bridge in my 2016 manifesto. This scheme would be transformational, supporting sustainable growth in the Opportunity Areas of Canada Water and Canary Wharf and encouraging more walking and cycling between east and south London in line with the objectives set out in my Transport Strategy.
The proposals are unprecedented, however, representing one of the longest bridges of its kind anywhere in the world. This, added to the challenges of the River Thames and a developed inner London environment, means the scheme is incredibly complex. I was pleased to oversee Transport for London’s (TfL’s) work to better understand these factors, develop quality designs and clear plans for its safe construction and operation. However, this work demonstrated the costs of the scheme to be significantly greater than originally anticipated, and so TfL took the decision that it is not affordable at this time. This was a tough decision but ultimately it was the right decision and one in which I fully support TfL.
The current impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on TfL’s finances only bring into sharper focus the affordability of such major investments in London’s transport network, and reinforce the pragmatic decision that TfL had to take on this scheme.

Rotherhithe Bridge (2)

Keith Prince: When you promised to deliver the Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf pedestrian and cycle bridge in your 2016 manifesto, how much did you anticipate that the bridge would cost?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) initially estimated the costs of this scheme to be £120-180m in 2016 prices. This was based on an initial understanding of the scheme and some very outline design proposals benchmarked against other schemes of a similar nature.
This is an incredibly complicated scheme – in many ways unprecedented. Once TfL developed full designs, construction and operational plans, as well as a developed cost estimate, it became clear that the costs were likely to be significantly in excess of original cost estimates. I therefore fully support the difficult but pragmatic decision that TfL took in determining this scheme is unaffordable at this time. This is further explained in my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/4646 and TfL’s cost estimate for the scheme is explained in my response to Mayor’s Question 2019/19609.